In the Shadow of the Ravan
by Kiriona
Summary: I, Ravan Sharaman, the Princess of Persia, have lost my city to a vicious attack by outsiders. The Dark prince has decieved me and I have been thrown into the past. Now I must piece together my father's past and save Babylon once again from it's fate...
1. Prologue

Kiri: Wow... my very first _actual _Prince of Persia fic... that isn't just a one-shot or a poem... how exciting! lol. I came up with this idea a while back, but I wanted to take a little time to devolope it a little before I took off with it. Hopefully it'll go in the direction I want it to, unlike some of my other stories... Anyways, here's the prologue, which might be crap, since the first version was somehow deleted and I had to do it all over again. And by the way... PLEASE note that I haven't finished the second or third game... i'm only about halfway through Warrior Within, and I got all the way to the final battle in the Two Thrones, but my save file was deleted. So... yeah. Throw me a bone if you can...

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_In the Shadow of the Ravan_

_Written by Kiriona_

Prologue 

_People say Time is like a river. It flows swift and sure in one direction. But I have seen the face of time, and I can tell you, they are wrong. Time is like the ocean. One small gust of wind can cause a huge title wave, and there are predators along the way. I learned the truth of this through experiences of my own. Honestly, I wish I had just accepted what fate had brought me, but instead, I ran out like a fool hoping to change the course of destiny, just like my father before me. _

_My name is Ravan Sharaman. I am the Princess of Persia, and the next in line for the thrown. I have no doubt that you're already familiar with my father's tale of his quarrel with the Sands of Time, so I won't bother with it. I have a tale of my own to tell. I sincerely hope that by sharing my wisdom, no one after me will make the same foolish mistakes that seem to run in my family. _

_It all started only a few weeks or so before my sixteenth birthday. My father had been having some trouble with some groups outside of Babylon, my home city. They'd been trying to breech the city walls for some time now, and were coming closer and closer to succeeding, despite my father's efforts to keep them out. Finally, they got in. It started out as a small unrest, but steadily grew into a riot, and then it became an all out war. While the guards were well trained, the enemy found its strength in numbers, and slowly overthrew the city. I was evacuated, but I don't know what happened to my parents. _

_Only a few hours later, as I sat in the small encampment my bodyguards had set up only a few miles away, I was informed that the King and Queen of Persia, my parents, and only family had been killed. My father's death was an honorable one; he had been killed in the midst of battle. My mother had fallen unconscious while trying to escape the enflamed palace, and burned to death. _

_I should've just cried my tears, took my new thrown and rebuilt my city. Then none of this nonsense would've ever happened… but I didn't want to believe that they were really gone for good. I wanted to believe that there was a way to go back and change things and make everything right again… Sit down. And I shall tell you a tale like know in which you've ever heard…_


	2. Chapter One: The Stranger

Kiri: and after several hours of nonstop typing and daydreaming, here is the first chapter. Wow, my eyes are tired!

Ravan: You've only been staring at the computer screen for the past three hours...

Kiri: I stopped to stare at the doofus who was snorting crack up his nose outside in the rain, didn't I That qualifies as a break! anyways... you all know that I don't own anything except for Ravan, and the plot. so far. and the stranger... to a point.

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Chapter One 

_We waited a few days to return to the city, or at least, what remained of it. It was just a big, deserted pile of rubble by now. But the bodies of my parents were out there somewhere, and it was there that that my adventure really began…_

Babylon was in ruins, and I was now without a home and family. Damn, and I was almost sixteen, too. As I overlooked the destruction that was once my palace, I hardly noticed when my bodyguards disbanded themselves to survey the damages.

I don't think my brain was fully registering what was going on .I mean, I was looking at it, but I couldn't believe it was really there. Perhaps I just convinced myself too early that Babylon was far too safe for anything like this to happen. Yeah, lets go with that. After staring at the wreckage, swimming through thoughts and memories, I decided to look around on my own. Making sure no one was really paying attention to me, I quietly walked in a remote direction, keeping as low a profile as I could. Even in times of distress like this, I still have a thing for wandering off. Reva, my old nursemaid, used to hate it when I would wander off. She would look away for a few seconds and I would be gone. Father used to just laugh at my innocent curiosity, pat my pigtailed head and tell me to try and not wander away so much. I never listened, of course.

Anyway, within minutes I was far enough away from my guards to start looking around. I think I was standing at the far end of the reception hall. Those broken down steps must've been the ones leading up to the second floor. I conjured my memory of the old palace and tried to make my way to where my bedroom would be, but it was much harder that I thought. I tried that method for a good ten minutes, but I quickly got frustrated and just started throwing chunks of rubble aside. Unfortunately, my foot caught on something and I fell flat on my belly with a loud "Oof!"

I stayed still to recuperate, then sat up and batted my black bangs out of my ice-blue eyes. For a while, I just sat there, staring at my surroundings, dwelling on whatever thought came to mind, weather serious, or unrelated and ridiculous. I'd just started daydreaming about flowers and birds and pretty gardens when a voice I did not recognize spoke out.

"I would've thought the Princess of Persia herself would be graceful and feminine enough to not fall on her face." I jumped up from surprise and quickly glanced around. My eyes finally landed on a stranger in a black cloak.

"Excuse me, do I know you?" I asked, trying to be somewhat polite.

"No, you do not. But perhaps your father, the King, would." I paused, thinking of how to respond. I didn't like this man's voice. It had a certain sarcastic tone about it that didn't stand well with me.

"Well, I'm sorry to inform you that my father is dead." The stranger stayed quiet for a long while.

"My apologies, princess. Losing your city and family must by hard on you." I don't know if he was being serious, or trying to mock me, but I didn't want or need his sympathies. I just turned my back on him and kicked a few smaller rocks around in the dirt.

"Yes, yes, I have no need of your pity. So unless there's something of extreme importance you have to say to me, you can go and leave me alone." Ok, maybe I was being a little hard, but damn it, I didn't want to deal with the sympathy of others.

"I did not mean to offend you, princess." I just made a small 'mmf' noise and kicked at the dirt a little. I wish this guy would just go away already… "Maybe I can interest you in a little information I have?" Something about the way he said that last sentence made me a little uneasy, but I faced him again, hoping that if I just listened to what he had to say, he would leave.

"I'm listening." The stranger stepped closer until he was only a few feet away.

"There is a way to undo what has been done here," he said quietly. I blinked, not exactly understanding what he said. Probably sensing my misunderstanding, he asked, "How much do you know about the flow of time?" I stared blankly for a second of two.

"Only that it goes in one direction," I replied. I heard him chuckle under his breath.

"So young and naive… has your father told you nothing of his past?"

"What does my father have to do with time?" He was beginning to get on my nerves.

"I see. He kept it secret from you, and did a good job of it. Even your mother told you nothing of it either, I presume. I suppose they wanted to just burry what happened with bodies of those who died in the midst of it all… how thoughtless."

"Stop speaking in loops and just say what you will so I can return to my own business!" I exclaimed, now showing my frustration. I knew he was smiling under that hood of his…

A very brief moment of silence passed between us as he retrieved something from his belt and presented the object to me. I stood speechless, staring at the beautiful dagger her now held. It was above all the most gorgeous blade I'd seen in my life, and being Princess of Persia and the daughter of a warrior, I'd seen a lot of blades in my life.

"Do you know what this is?" He questioned me, but didn't wait for my answer. "It is a blade of a magnificent power. The Dagger of Time." I continued to stare at it, absorbed in thoughts of what it must be worth.

"What did you get this…?" I asked blankly. He didn't answer.

"This artifact could help you, princess. It comes from an Island only a little while's journey from Persia. On that island, you might just find a way to undo what has been done here." I slowly took in every word he said. On some island I could change things? But to what degree?

"What do you want for that dagger?" I asked hastily. He calmly held the hilt out for me to grab.

"Nothing. Take it. Just consider it a gift from a stranger to a young princess." I was wary of this. I knew he wanted something from me, but I didn't know what, and if there was a way to change things, I wanted to find out how. Slowly, my fingers wrapped around the hilt of the dagger and I held it up. I only admired it for a few moments when suddenly…

"Princess Ravan!" snapping back to reality, I whirled around to face two of my guards, and hid the dagger behind my back. "There you are! You had us worried for a moment!"

"My apologies, gentlemen. I didn't intend to be gone for so long," I offered, putting on an innocent façade. "I wanted to be alone with my thoughts."

"With all due respect, your highness, we must leave for the nearest city as soon as we can. We have very limited supplies and we must get you to safety." I nodded quickly.

"Very well. I will join you all shortly." They bowed and started to leave. I sighed in relief and turned back around, but the strange man was gone without a trace. I glanced once again at the dagger he had given to me and puzzled over everything he had said, but the only conclusion I came to was to think more on this later.

_Even though I didn't know who he was, or why he told me what he did, but something told me to trust his word. That, and I once again let my curiosity get the better of me. I decided to set out immediately to find the island he'd spoke of, oblivious to what would happen if I succeeded…_

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Kiri: Eh... it's kind of crap so far... I tried to make Ravan into a bit of an airhead... I'll get more into that in later chapters. And can anyone guess who the stranger really is? It's one of my favorite characters._  
_it should be a little obvious, actually. Anyways, leave some reveiws, ok, peoples? 


	3. Chapter Two: Fisherman Tales

Kiri: YAY chapter 2! And thanks for the reveiws! I'm going to try to keep this updated as often as possible, since I'm out of school for two weeks for X-mas. I'm just afraid that writter's block will set in and I'll be left to just sit here and stare blankly at the compy screen...

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Chapter Two 

_Our supplies lasted long enough to reach the closest city to Babylon, and there we stocked up, and I began to plan. I'd poured over what the stranger had said to me and finally came to the conclusion that it had to be worth a shot. But no matter what I believed, or chose not to believe, there was still that awkward feeling that something just wasn't where it should've been…_

"There has to be someone around here that knows anything about this Island of Time…" I muttered to myself as I wandered the busy streets of a port town. I had run away from the town nearest to Babylon while most everyone was asleep. A sneaky thing to do, but I wanted to know about that island. Ever since the strange man who gave me the dagger told me of the island, I'd done nothing but wonder about it. While I was in that town, though, I did a lot of asking around. I found out some things, mostly from the older men that knew a lot of things, like bartenders and old sailors. For instance, I discovered that there was supposedly some beautiful creature living there, but the island itself was near impossible to dock at. The more I found out, the more I wanted to know.

But my resources in a town that was far inland were very limited. In an actual port town, there had to be someone with some juicy information… Unfortunately, so far, I've had little to no luck at all.

"Um, excuse me, sir…" I began. The middle-aged sailor turned around.

"What's a little thing like yerself doing wandering around alone, eh?" he replied. Sighing, I continued.

"I was wondering… if you knew anything about the Island of Time?" he just stared blankly at me, then turned back to his drink and laughed heartedly.

"That's adorable, kid, but I'm busy now. Go play your game of make-believe somewhere else, eh?" …I don't look that young…do I…? I just turned and walked away, my lips together firmly in a small pout. If these old crusty, scurvy –ridden men knew who I was…

I walked slowly down by the docks, watching crews load and unload supplies from their docked ships. All of them looked too busy to even pay me any attention, and too young to know much about such things, so with a heavy heart, I just continued along the cobblestone streets until I decided to ask one of them anyway.

"Pardon me, sir…" I said to the old looking sailor, who looked like he might be a captain. He turned and eyed me. "Um… could you maybe help me?" I bit my lip as he continued to stare, but finally grinned a toothy grin.

"Certainly, for a fine lookin' youngling like yerself. What can I do for ye, miss?" he took his word hat off and bowed.

"Well, would you know anything at all about a place called the Island of Time?" I gave a small, hopeful smile as he scratched the whiskers on his chin with calloused hands and dirty, worn out fingernails.

"Now… what exactly would a girl like you be wanting with information like that?" He raised a thick, bushy eyebrow.

"Well, I…" I considered my answer carefully, and blurted out, "Curiosity!" I smiled innocently, hoping he'd believe it, which he obviously didn't.

"Curiosity? I've heard youngin's like yerself ask plenty of crazy questions in my time, but asking about that island you'd have a solid reason behind." Damn. I chewed my lip, trying to come up with another lie, but my mind only drew blanks.

"Can you tell me anything at all about it? I would really like to know." Once again, he scratched his chin in consideration.

"Well, if yer so anxious to know, why don't ye come down to that pub over there on that corner later tonight? I'm busy at the moment, but if ye still want to know, that's where you'll find me." My face lit up.

"I will be there. I promise!"

Of course, that night, I walked into the pub, keeping a low profile. It was surprisingly quiet compared to some of the pubs I saw in Babylon. I mean, some of those men would get incredibly drunk and start fights and riots and sometimes things would get so out of hand that father would have to put a stop to it himself. I'll never forget the time he came back with a broken sword, a bruised cheek and a split lip. He said some ruffian had taken it upon himself to prove that the King of Persia would be nothing without his title. He gave us all the details while mother tenderly fixed him up. How well I remember that night.

The sailor I'd spoken to earlier that day was sitting at a table in the far corner, with a bottle of ale and himself for company. I made my way over and sat across from him.

"I was starting to wonder if you were going to come," he commented.

"I got lost…" I answered. Since I've never really been outside of Babylon in my life, getting lost here was an easy task.

"So, you wanna know all about that Island, right?" I nodded eagerly. "Well, there are a good number of mysteries surrounding the place… superstitions, rumors, stories… why, they say the King of Persia himself went there." Bang. All my attention was now centered.

"Did you say the King of Persia went there? What for? What happened?" He held up one hand to stop me.

"Slow down, youngin! Not much is known, but there's some rumors that he did go there. Suppose he wanted somethin' from that mystical being livin' there, or somethin'…" He stroked his scruffy beard. "Some say there's some nice treasure to be had there, but no one's ever been able to dock there."

"Why not?"

"Mmm… every ship that's come close was destroyed. No survivors. Not a single scrap could even be salvaged from the ship itself. No one really knows why… I just know that no one has set foot on those sands and come off it alive. 'Cept the King, o'course. We all know he's alive and well."

"Not anymore… Babylon was attacked recently and he was killed in the process of defending the city," I informed him.

"Aye, really? Damn shame, that is. Especially after saving the place from those monsters only seventeen years ago…"

"Monsters? What monsters?" So what the stranger said was true… Father was keeping things from me. But why?

"Aye, don't ye know about that, missy?" he asked, surprised. I shook my head slowly. "Well, I'll tell ya." He leaned closer to me excitedly. "See, he was just commin' back from that Island yer so curious about about found the city under a nasty attack by some Indian vizier. Most say he was just a power hungry maniac. I have to say I agree with that, myself. See, no one quite knows how, 'cept the King, but that vizier turned himself into some kinda God creature. And he went through terrorizing the remaining citizens of Babylon." I titled my head, focusing intently on his words.

"What happened?"

"Well, the King, back then he was still the Prince, he journeyed all throughout the city, where he met the Queen, who back then was the Indian Princess. Talked some sense into him, she did. All he wanted to do was get bloody revenge on that vizier. Didn't want to stop and help his people. Prolly figured it wouldn't do him any good until the maniac was gone. Some say it was a voice in his head tellin' him to press on."

"Hold on, a voice in his head…?" I questioned.

"Aye, a voice in his head. Kept pushin' 'im to continue towards the enemy. Fat load a good it did 'im, too. Every time he'd catch up, that vizier would out run him. Cowardice, I say. But, the Queen, she put some sense in his head. No one quite knows how they got rid of that maniac vizier, but they did. All is well, now."

"Why did he keep this a secret from me…?" I pondered out loud to myself. There had to be some good reason behind it, or he would've told me all about those adventures…

"What are ye sayin' over there, miss?" I shook my head and snapped back to reality.

"Nothing. Just talking to myself. Um… I never got your name." He removed his hat.

"Captain Hesam, at your service, miss." He extended his hand over the table. Clasping his hand firmly, I replied, "Ravan, sir."

"You share the name of the little princess. Aye, she escaped the attack, didn't she?" I nodded, grinning broadly.

"I know that for a fact."

"That's a good thing. We'll be needin' an heir to that thrown." He chuckled, "Not that I'm ever around long enough to know the difference, o'course." I paused for thought. He seemed to be a knowledgeable old sailor… I suppose it's worth a shot.

"Well, captain… do you think… you could take me to the Island of Time?" He raised his eyebrow at me.

"What would ye want to go there for? That place has a nasty reputation for being a cursed island, y'know. Too dangerous for the likes of us humble fishermen, let alone a little thing such as yerself."

"I can pay you. Whatever you want," I offered," I just need to get out that that island to at least look around!"

"Well… I suppose I could. It won't be cheap, young miss, but I can gettcha out there."

"Thank you!" I exclaimed, almost leaping forward.

_So I spent the two days I had before shove off preparing for my journey. None of those sailors had any idea who I was, but that didn't really bother me. I didn't really want them to know. What Hesam had told me that night at the pub held my interest and curiosity. But I kept wondering why father had told me nothing about it…_

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Kiri: I think I actually enjoyed writting the conversation with Hesam... 

Ravan: Why do I always do something that makes me look like a bubble head?

Kiri: because I said so. Now get back in the story.

Ravan: (stalks away, grumbling)

Kiri: stay tuned for chapter three when she arived at the dreaded Island of Time! _  
_


	4. Chapter Three: Shipwreck

Kiri: Yees, this is such a crap chapter... it seems like filler crap, but its not. oh well. Hopefully the next chapter, which I will start tonight, finish tomorrow, will be much better. we get another lovely visit from that stranger, and Ravan find what she's looking for... stay tuned!

Ravan: Are you really this bored?

Kiri: Yes, as a matter of fact, i am. Now get back in the story.

Ravan: what if I don't wanna?

Kiri: Oh, you want to. Considering that you get to meet a cute guy in this chapter.

Ravan: Ok, you've convinced me. Enjoy the story, everyone!

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Chapter Three 

_During the few weeks we were at sea, I prodded the crew and Hesam for as much information about the island as I could. Some of them seemed reluctant to speak about it, which was fine with me because I'd just go ask someone else. _

"Ravan!" I groaned and rolled over. "Ravan, wake up!" Ugh… voice in the ear… pulled covers over head… "Don't make me drag you out of that bed myself!" Go away… sleeeepyyyy…. Stop shaking me…

"REVA, will you go away and let me sleep in already?" I finally shouted. I heard laughing.

"Ravan, it's Adel. Not Reva. Hurry and get dressed. There's land in sight." I just stared sleepily as the boy no older than me left my small room. Hesam must've sent him to wake me up, because I usually always wake up on my own. Maybe I overslept today… I did stay up a bit later than usual listening to crew members telling stories about their life on the sea and their near death experiences with sea monsters and whatnot. All of it was exaggerated and probably untrue, but interesting and entertaining to say the least.

Anyway, I met Adel the day I boarded Hesam's ship. He was the cabin boy, apparently, and he'd already spent two years on that same ship. He and I clicked almost instantly and by the time we had set sail and the harbor was almost out of sight, we were talking like old friends. Of course, some of the younger men on the ship teased us about 'young love' but it didn't bother me much. So far, he was the only one that knew I was the Princess of Persia.

Still yawning, I pulled some presentable clothes on and headed up to the ships deck. It didn't take me long to spot Adel's dark brown mop of hair. He had very short hair that liked to stick up everywhere, and he liked to wear clothes that were several sized to big. I mean, he has to use a piece of rope to as a belt to keep his pants from falling off, and his shirt practically hangs off of one shoulder. I rubbed my eyes again while I strode over to where he stood, looking through a long spyglass at a small speck of land. He laughed when he saw me standing there yawning with my hair still in a tangled mass.

"You're still half asleep, aren't you?" he asked me. I only nodded groggily. "Here," he handed me the spyglass, "take a look." I held it up to my eye and squinted. Adel snorted out a laugh.

"I can't see anything, Adel, it's too far." I looked at him tiredly.

"Well, princess, you're holding it backwards," he replied, grinning. I looked at the spyglass.

"Oh… I knew that." I turned it around and looked through. A spooky looking island was in sight. Seriously, that place sent shivers down my spine. The place seemed to radiate with danger. "I don't like the looks of that place…"

"The Captain said that's the island you're looking for. Honestly, I don't know why you want to go there."

"It's no wonder sailors won't go near it." I put the glass back in his hand. "But there's something on that island that I want to know about."

"And you're going to do this… alone?" I paused.

"Well… I… I didn't think about that… I guess so… why?" Adel just shook his head and focused his dark eyes on mine.

"You know, you're really indecisive for the one who will take the thrown one day."

"Oh, knock it off," I answered, weakly punching him in the shoulder and turning away, my face a faint shade of pink. We leaned on the rail.

"I'll ask the Captain if he'll let me go with you." I looked at him oddly.

"Adel, you really don't have to. I'm sure I'll do fine on my own." He shook his head.

"Can't risk it. We only met a few weeks ago, and I'm not about to loose a new friend so quickly." I turned away as my cheeks began to feel warm.

"That's… very sweet of you." He just smiled thoughtfully and hurried off to speak with Hesam. Adel really was a sweet guy… handsome, too.

Somehow, the closer we came to the island, the worse the weather seemed to get. Before long, it was raining and the winds were a bit less than friendly. It slowly became worse until it was a full-blown storm and the crew was up on deck trying to steady the ship. The ship rocked back and forth vigorously as the waves created by the harsh winds beat against the sides of the vessel. Hesam had told me to remain below deck with Adel, who had left only a few minutes ago to fetch some things. I was alone for the moment, sitting in the small room, with a dim lantern as my only source of light.

I wasn't used to ships. I'd felt the same way I do now the first day. Having never set foot on a boat of any kind before, I felt very uneasy. The gentle rocking of the tide didn't help, either. Eventually I became accustomed to it, but for all that time, the weather had been wonderful. Now there was a storm going on.

Adel returned after a while, carrying two blankets and some food from the storeroom, one of which he draped over my shoulders over my cloak.

"You look a little pale," he stated, sitting next to me.

"I've never been out at sea before…" I replied quietly.

"That storm is getting pretty nasty out there. I hope the ship can handle it." I shuddered and pulled the scratchy blanket tighter around me. Adel chuckled heartedly. "You remind me of myself during my first voyage. How well I remember the jittering, the queasiness, the restless nights and the seasickness. You've taken things rather well for a girl." I slowly turned my head to looked at him, my eyebrows raised as if to say, 'What is that supposed to mean?' He shrugged. "Well, I mean, you being a royal, accustomed to palace life and all."

"I'm just not used to so much rocking. I miss sturdy ground." I shuddered again.

"Are you still cold?"

"No… Well, a little…" He scooted closer to me and touched my hands.

"My god, Ravan!" he exclaimed, taking both my hands in his own, "you're like ice! Come here." He fiddled with the blanket and pulled me against him, tightly entwining his arms around me.

"What are you doing…?" I started to ask, but he hushed me.

"You are frozen. Spend a few years on the sea and you will learn to keep warm." His words seemed to relieve me a little, so I dropped my head against his chest and let my eyes close. Both of us were silent for a long time. I listened to his heart beating softly in his chest and started to get drowsy.

"Why are you going to that island, anyway, Ravan?" he finally asked me. Since my brain was slowing down, it took a while for his question to register.

"Babylon was destroyed and burned to the ground…I was the only survivor," I explained, "I heard that there was something on this island that could change fate. I have to find out for myself if this is true."

"Good luck, princess."

For a time, we stayed like that, and I admit, it was a little romantic. But sadly it wouldn't last much longer. Just when I was in the early stages of sleep, the ship suddenly jerked hard enough to toss the two of us across the room. Dazed, I glanced around and rubbed the back of my neck.

"What was that?" Adel shrugged.

"I dunno… we must've hit something… I'll go find out what happened. Wait here." He got up and left, leaving me to wonder what happened. Only moments later, he returned, grabbed my wrist and yanked me out the door.

"Adel! What happened?" I yelled as we reached the top of the stairs that lead onto the deck.

"We hit a rock! The ship is about to go under!" He exclaimed and proceeded to pull me out into the storm.

"What?" I yelled through the furry of the winds. The crew was bailing off the ship, most just leaping off the bow into the freezing water. I looked back at Adel, through my bangs, which were matted to my forehead by now. "What do we do!" he stopped at the rail and faced me.

"Jump!" I stared blankly.

"What?"

"JUMP!" Before I could react, he scooped me up and tossed me over the railing and suddenly, I was underwater.

_Adel had saved my life and I never got the chance to thank him for it. The entire crew had vanished, and when I woke up on that accursed island, I didn't find any bodies. Only debris from the ship. I know, déjà vu, anyone? Well, their deaths were only more reason to continue my search…_

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Kiri: There! A crap chapter on a stick! I had some writters block about halfway through, so that didn't help much... This chapter is just busting at the seems with fluff... anyway, stay tuned for chapter 4!_  
_


	5. Chapter Four: Companions?

Kiri: Wow, this one is actually the shortest one yet... at least, I think so... anyway, we finally get to see what our favorite mysterious stranger looks like and what his attitude towards Ravan really is! I actually had fun writting about it. So, enjoy the story!

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Chapter Four 

_I had some problems the first day or so. Living in a palace, everything is done for you, and all you have to do is laze around. I salvaged what little I could from the remains of the ship, rested up and started exploring the island. To my luck, it was deserted. But everywhere I went, there was always that nagging feeling that it was a bad island and that something had happened there a long time ago… Boy was I right._

"Alright, I admit it. I am lost with no way of retracing my steps! Now can I get a little help, here?" I shouted at the sky. I don't know whom I was talking to… I just wanted some kind of sign to point me in a direction. Any direction. I'd stopped caring was direction I went when I passed the same knotted old tree four times! I folded my arms. "Someone doesn't like me." I picked a random path and started to follow it. "No, someone doesn't like me at all, otherwise I would still be in Persia, probably asleep in a nice big comfy bed with my guards, and my people, and my thrown—WOAH!" I slipped on a step leading downwards and smacked my chin on the ground. "Ow." I sat up and rubbed my jaw. That really hurt. "Back in Persia, and NOT wandering around this godforsaken speck of sand in the middle of the ocean!" Sighing again, I reached around my back and gripped the dagger of Time. I stared at the radiant blade for a moment, then up at the sky again. "Father, help me."

Keeping the dagger firmly in hand, I hauled myself to my feet and started down the path again, only to slip once again and land hard on my other end.

"Ow! Who designed this place anyway? They need to be taken out and hanged!" I exclaimed. The entire island is starting to get on my nerves. I wish I had something that could just plow the whole place down into a flat surface. "That would be so much easier…"

"Are you talking to anyone in particular, princess? Because if you haven't noticed, there's no one around to hear you and talking to yourself is a sign of insanity." I let my face drop into a scowl and turned around the face the stranger.

"Not you again. I'm having enough trouble as it is without you bothering me!"

"So I see." He removed his hood to reveal his pale face, and my god he reminded me of Father! If his eyes had been pale blue instead of that fierce, blood red, and his hair dark brown and somewhat long, rather than ponytail length, and pearl white, I would've ran up to him yelling, "Father!" But still, even if he didn't have my father's appearance, this man had a dark, menacing air about him. I couldn't put my finger on it, but there was some trait about him that rubbed me the wrong way and I distrusted him almost immediately.

"How did you get here, anyway?" I broke the silence. He didn't answer me.

"You still have that dagger, I presume?" he inquired. I showed it to him.

"Yes, but what does that have to do with my question?"

"Nothing at all." …This guy is amazing. I wonder if he always acts this arrogant and sarcastic. "Come, there's something I wish to show you." He started to walk away, but I wasn't ready to follow him just yet.

"Can you at least tell me your name before I follow you into what could be my death?" I called after him. He stopped.

"You're death?" he laughed, "You think so small, princess! I have little against you, so I have no reason to take your life. Even if I did, I would hesitate, since you are the very last link in the royal bloodline, and to consider the manner in which to accomplish the task. But if you wish to undo the fate of your beloved city, you will follow me, even if it led to your demise, which it will not." I stared at him.

"Stop trying to confuse me and answer my question!" I demanded. He paused.

"My name is Erik. Now hurry before I leave you behind."

I was reluctant to follow him. When he and I had met before, he'd been a little more polite and humble… maybe because I had guards I could call over. Oh well. I have the dagger with me. That's some reassurance, at least. He wasn't to best choice for a conversation, either.

"So where did you say you were taking me?" I asked after a full ten minutes of ear-shattering quiet.

"I didn't." I scowled.

"You know what I mean!" By that amused smirk on his face, I could tell he was enjoying mocking me. I should've just stayed back there and continued on alone.

"Fine. We have to cross to the other side of the island," he stated simply.

"For what? That will take us another day!"

"Then maybe you should have stayed on the beach instead of wandering away like a fool! It would have made finding you much easier for me!"

"How was I supposed to know you were here? There was no other ship. And if I had stayed on the beach, what would I have done? Watch the remains of my ship drift out to sea? Search for the remains of the crew? Please, enlighten me!"

"I see you have inherited every bit of your father's thick skull! You are just as aggravating and frustrating as he was!" He knew my father, after all…

"Have you no respect for the dead?"

"Not for that pompous idiot! Nor your nauseating mother!" I stopped walking and curled my fists, one of which held the dagger.

"What do you have against my parents? Any vendetta you hold them accountable for, you hold against me, as well!"

"Why must you insist and coaxing such things out of me? I have told you too much already!" I just glared at him as he approached me, but I held my ground when he stood only inches away from me. He was a good several inches higher that I was, but I tried to keep my fear at bay. "Now, if you do not _shut up_, I will leave you for dead." I stood on my tiptoes to look a little more threatening.

"You have nerve, speaking to me that way," I said through clenched teeth in a low voice. He stared at me, his lips slowly twisting into a taunting smirk, and he laughed.

"Well, excuse me, O Princess! I beg your forgiveness!" he jeered. "What are you going to do, huh? What _can _you do? We are out on an island in the middle of nowhere, completely alone. There are no guards or servants to do your bidding for you! Face it, you have no power here." I sneered at him, but he only grinned crookedly and lightly patted my cheek. "Yes, the truth does hurt, doesn't it?" I roughly shoved his hand away.

"Do not touch me," I growled. He scoffed and turned away.

"Enough time has been wasted already. Either come or stay. I do not care." He suddenly turned around and held his hand out. "But if you do stay here, at least give me the dagger back." I quickly hid it behind my back to show that I wasn't about to give it up. "Then hurry up. Or have you forgotten how to move during your show of stubbornness?" Choosing not to dignify that with an answer, I just bit my tongue and started walking.

_Traveling with Erik was interesting in its own perverse way. We never got along, and every conversation always ended in argument. I was surprised that he didn't steal the dagger from me and stab me while my guard was down. But for reasons I cannot explain, I felt this bizarre connection with him. It's difficult to explain, but just looking at him, it was like having a déjà vu. Where did I know him? I just couldn't figure it out…_

* * *

Kiri: there. the next chapter I think I'll be doing it in a different POV for some recap... not sure... I'll figure it out when I start writting... not much to say here, so stay tuned for chapter five! 


	6. Chapter Five: Betrayal

Kiri: Phew. Another chapter down. This one is written in third person, and is centered around our favotite dark prince. And to answer a reveiw, I am planning to stick in some romance between Ravan and the Dark Prince, but later in the story. Now, enough of my rambling. enjoy chapter 5!

* * *

Chapter Five 

Ugh… if only those idiotic foreigners hadn't attacked, he wouldn't be on this blasted island, arguing with this flat chested, aggravating, pompous, high-and-mighty bitch! All he wanted was revenge, but no, now he had to go through all this nonsense to get it! How he wished he could just rip that dagger from her hands and tear out her vocal cords. That would at least shut her up. But he had to restrain himself, however difficult that was becoming.

He wasn't quite sure how it had happened, but he, the Dark Prince, had cheated his own destruction. All he knew what that one moment, his very being was disintegrating, and the next, he was in a body of his own and the Dagger of Time belted at his hip, in a back ally of a small town. He was no longer composed of the Sands, of that much he was certain, which meant that the Empress must've had little to do with it. Some other deity had taken pity and rescued him from certain destruction.

His very first intentions were to go to Babylon and exact revenge on his alter ego. He made the long journey through the dunes of the scorching deserts towards Persia's capital, only to discover it to be in ruins. Along the way, he'd learned that his reincarnation had taken a while. About seventeen years, if he wasn't mistaken. The prince had since become king, and was now married with a little daughter.

He was enraged about the fact that Babylon was no more and that the prince wasn't his for the taking. Now he needed a plan… and that stupid girl was exactly what he needed. His archenemy had done a poor job raising her; she was naïve and weak, and he'd had an easy time fooling her into going to the Island of Time. Sure enough, she would turn the clock back for him, and allow him to quench his blood thirst.

During the night, when the dark entity slept, he had dreams of the island and of a secret chamber only the Dagger could open. Inside that chamber was a pool of some kind… at first he assumed it was just plain water. But after looking deeper into these dreams of his, he knew there was something about the waters that would help him accomplish his goal.

"Do you just enjoy not acknowledging a single word I say?" Ravan interrupted his thoughts once again, probably to ask some stupid question. He didn't answer. "I'll take that as a 'yes.'" Summoning every bit of patience he could, he turned to face her.

"What is it now?" How wonderful it would be if he could just murder her in cold blood right there…

"I was asking if you even know where you're going. It seems we've been walking around this place forever!"

"It can't be much further." He hoped it wasn't much further. He could only stand so much more or her arguing before he had to kill something, and since she was the only living thing around…

Suddenly, he heard something heavy hit the ground behind him. He looked back, finding Ravan sprawled on the ground. He laughed.

"You are the clumsiest member of the royal family I have ever seen! How many times have you fallen on your face by now?" she glared up at him.

"It isn't funny, Erik," she spat back, and brushed her bangs away from her face. That was when he noticed the trap door sticking an inch of two above the ground… "How much farther until we reach whatever it is you're looking for?" she whined again, but this time they almost fell on deaf ears.

"You're sitting on it," he replied, "Get up."

"What?" she asked stupidly. Erik wasn't in the mood to explain it to her, so he only gripped her forearm and yanked her aside.

"This is it," he murmured to himself, "the place from that dream…"

"Speak up. I can't hear you when you mumble." He hardly regarded her and he started to brush sand and dirt away and uncovered the old passage door. The two forced companions stared into the dark abyss when Erik opened the door. "What's down there?" Ravan inquired. _At last…_ he thought gleefully, _Revenge is just a staircase away… _

"I don't know, lets find out!" The dark prince then shoved her as hard as he could down the black hole. There was a series of loud 'thumps' and shouts of pain as she tumbled down the staircase, until she hit the bottom.

"…I think my legs are broken…" she grumbled.

"Is you're skull broken?" he called back.

"No… but I think my spine is…" Feeling a little disappointed that she wasn't dead from a broken neck he started down the stairs.

"Isn't that a shame…" he said, smiling as he passed her as she lye on the floor in a crumpled form. But Ravan didn't enjoy being the butt of Erik's joke at all, and retaliated by tripping him as he walked past. He stumbled, but didn't trip, and let out a nice steam of curses in her direction. Ravan only grinned in revenge.

However, another door blocked their way. This one was a heavy stone door that looked like it would take a dozen men to even budge it. On it there were various carvings of symbols and whatnot that he didn't care for. All he was interested in was the slat in the center.

"Ravan," he commanded in a low voice, "the dagger. Open the door."

"How?" she answered. He sighed impatiently and pointed at the slat.

"There. Surely you aren't dumb enough that you cannot figure this out." She threw him a glare, and with a swift motion, stabbed the blade into the slat. Nothing happened at first, but eventually, the door started to react. It creaked and groaned as it slowly slid across the stone floors, until it was wide open.

The room was bare except the thin, but tall set of steps along the far wall that led nowhere, and in front of them was a large pool of water that took up half the room. After Ravan picked herself up, the two companions approached the pool. Ravan crouched down and brushed her finger through it.

"Water? Is that what you wanted to show me?" she questioned. Erik only stared at the liquid.

"Not just any water, princess…" He held his hand out to her. "Give me the dagger." Ravan gaped blankly at him for a moment, until he threw her a menacing glare. Letting out an aggravated growl in the back of her throat, she shoved the Dagger of Time's hilt into his hand. "What you see before you is something no one has ever laid eyes on before… No one except the father of time himself…" He slowly knelt down and stared at their reflections.

"Well, what is it?" Ravan wanted to know. The Prince of Darkness slowly lifted his gaze to meet hers and his face slowly contorted into a cruel smile. This unnerved Ravan, and she started to inch back away from him.

"What is it now, Princess? Don't you trust me anymore?" he said in a low, mocking and tormenting voice. A look a horror passed the girl's delicate features, and Erik suddenly snatched her by the forearm. She struggled, but the Dark Prince's hold was too strong for her to break.

"Let go of me!" she shrieked, putting every bit of strength her little body could muster to free herself. Erik held her in front of him, keeping his death grip on her arm, making Ravan sure she would have a nice sized bruise there. He held her only inches from his face, staring into her fearful eyes. "Why are you doing this?" Ravan demanded, trying to keep her voice from shaking, "Let me go, you maniac!" He let go of her arm and grabbed her neck instead.

"Do you even know who I am, you stupid wench? I am the very embodiment of hate and cruelty. You think wrongly if you believe I would take pity on you. You, the very flesh and blood of my worst enemy. Believe it or not, girl, you are going to help me get my revenge on that fool you can 'father' weather you like it or not." He laughed darkly and shifted the dagger he still held. Ravan stared at the weapon.

"How do you plan to do that if I am dead?" she asked bravely.

"Oh, you will be far from death… I assure you." The princess's eyes widened, and an ear-shattering scream of terror tore from her throat as Erik plunged the Dagger of Time through her belly as deep as he could. Her free hand reached up for the wound, and her fingers wrapped gingerly around his. He watched her pained eyes, and his grip loosened some when he realized her hand was over his, trying to pull the object out. Deciding to oblige her, he ripped it from her body and dropped it, letting it clatter to the floor, drenched in her blood.

Ravan's knees finally couldn't hold her any more, and she collapsed, landing in Erik's arms. The Dark Prince only continued to stare at her as she coughed painfully and a single stream of crimson blood dripped down her chin. Why was he hesitating? Why did the sight of her in such a feeble state make him so reluctant? He couldn't figure it out. She coughed again, this time it sounded like a liquid was caught in her throat and more blood started dripping from the corner of her mouth. Her stomach was already filling with blood. He had to hurry before she choked to death. Returning his attention to the task at hand, he scooped her up bridal style and stood up. But something made him stop dead in his tracks…

"Erik…" the princess said in a small, hoarse whisper. Her fingertips lightly brushed his chin. She was trying to get his attention. "Why…" she coughed one last time before falling limp in his arms. What was this feeling? Remorse? Was he regretting what he had just done to her? Was that why he was pausing? No… he couldn't let this new feeling stop him from completing his task. Shoving it all to the back of his mind, he focused and tossed the unconscious girl's body in the water.

"Now all I have to do is let the Waters of the Ages have their way with her… and vengeance will be mine."

* * *

Kiri: GASP!! Holy crap, dude! ...That cloud has a face! ok, really, he stabbed her, omg! Now all she can do is wait... just wondering what's going to happen... is it the end? No one knows... Excpt me, of course! stay tuned for chapter six! 


	7. Chapter Six: Father Time

Kiri: Yay, chapter 6! back in Ravan's pov. Some interesting information becomes known in this chapter, and it took a long time of staring at the compy screen and daydreaming to come up with it all.

Ravan: Well aren't you proud?

Kiri: yes, I am very proud... hey, Ravey! You're back!

Ravan:... never call me that again.

Kiri: You can deal with it.

Ravan: And I don't like the fact that I was stabbed in the last chapter by the Dark Prince, either!

Kiri: You'll get over it. Now get back in the story.

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Chapter Six 

_It's strange to say this, but I was hurt that Erik had betrayed me. I know I said that I never trusted him in the first place, but for some reason, the emotional pain of it all stung horribly. Maybe even worse than when he drove the dagger through my stomach. But as I slowly sank to the bottom of the water, some strange things began to happen. First, there was nothing. No sensations, no light, no sound, or anything. It was all darkness. I thought I was dying at first, but a kind, gentle voice suddenly began speaking to me. And for once, since Babylon had been destroyed, I felt at peace. _

I felt strange. I was emerging out of the dark abyss I thought was death into this weird blue light. I couldn't even feel the pain from where Erik had stabbed me anymore. Come to think of it, I couldn't feel much at all. For a moment, I thought I could breathe again, when I realized I wasn't. I didn't even need to breathe. Maybe I was dead and this was heaven… maybe I could see my parents again.

It was really weird when I discovered that my eyes weren't working. Then how could I see that blue light? I couldn't see it… I could feel it. I focused on this sense to make it as acute as possible and I noticed the large amount of energy radiating from the bright center of the light. It gave me a pleasant warm feeling from my fingertips to my toes… wait… what happened to my body? Am I just a spirit?

"Yes, Ravan. You're not within your body anymore." The words were soft, and kind, but startled me nonetheless. I wanted to ask who was there, but the words wouldn't come. "I can't hear you, Ravan, but I can feel your emotions, and I know what you want to say. I am Father Time." Father Time…

"Where is this place?" I asked.

"You are within my realm, now. A realm where the flow of time does not exist and where only the deities that control the Timeline may enter."

"Oh? What makes me so special?"

"In your world, there exist certain artifacts to help keep the Timeline under control, such as the Dagger of Time, and the Mask of the Wraith, both of which were used by your father to change his destiny."

"That doesn't really answer my question."

"You and the Dark Prince stumbled onto the Waters of the Ages. I created those waters personally to serve as both a doorway into this realm, and to record everything within the Timeline. Every glitch, every change, every memory is within those waters. The Prince of Darkness, or should I say, 'Erik' struck you down and threw you into them."

"Why?" This was all making little to now sense to me at all.

"The Empress of Time resurrected him in hopes that he would be able to live again as a human. But he was so bent on getting his revenge on your father he completely ignored every one of her warnings to him and hurried off to Babylon. Of course, you know what happened from there."

"He's trying to get revenge through me? Is that it?"

"Not quite, child. You see, when the Empress was resurrecting him, some of her knowledge spilled into him. It wasn't intentional, of course, but he saw it all in the form of dreams, and he knew about the waters. He was so greedy for you father's blood that he tricked you into coming to the Empress's island."

"Why did he need me?"

"The Sands of Time and the Waters of the Ages go hand in hand, but are also opposites. They are both vulnerable to one another, and he knew it. So he got a third party to do his bidding for him. In other words, you, Ravan."

"But why? Why me? What is he trying to do to me?" The voice was still a moment longer than I would've liked and I felt some reluctance on his part.

"If you hadn't been unconscious, and had not been wounded, the Waters would have no effect on you. I would have temporarily sealed the doorway and nothing would have conceived here between us. But because you were struck with the Dagger of Time, and you were unconscious, the waters corrupted you." If I had teeth, they would be grinding together right now.

"They corrupted me how?" I questioned in a dark tone.

"They got inside of your bloodstream, filled your lungs, and your stomach. I apologize, Ravan, but when you awaken, you will be endowed with my powers. You will be able to manipulate the flow of time and bend it to your will, freeze it, slow it down, rewind it, whatever you like. And just like the Empress, you will carry a part of the Timeline with you for eternity." I was silent and very still.

"So that's what he meant… Erik wanted me to turn back the clock, change Babylon's fate so he could get his bloody revenge… is he so selfish that he'd turn me into a freak just to achieve his goals?" I exclaimed angrily. I fumed for a couple minutes. "Alright, how do I fix this mess I've gotten myself into?"

"Why not look at the Timeline and decide for yourself?" With that, everything started to fade. I felt my senses leaving me, and I slowly plummeted back into the darkness…

* * *

I suddenly jolted awake as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice on my head. My eyes focused, and I came to the realization that I couldn't breathe. I started flailing my limbs around wildly through the water that surrounded me, trying to figure out which way was up, and I started swimming in that direction. My hand was the first to break the surface and I searched for a ledge and pulled myself out of the water. With a huge effort, I flopped onto solid ground and coughed and drug air into my lungs. I rested on the ground for a long while, trying to get everything functioning properly again, when I remembered. 

I forced myself into a sitting position and searched my stomach for the stab wound Erik had left there, but my eyesight was still trying to come back, so everything I saw was just a big blur of color. But I could vaguely feel a scar there. It hadn't been a dream… it had happened… then what about that other dream? …What was that other dream? I don't remember… I hope it comes back to me…

I rested against the wall a while longer until I felt strong enough to stand. My legs were really wobbly, so I had to use the wall for support and I slowly made my way out of the chamber, up the steps and out the trap door. I squinted as the light from the outside hit my eyes, and shivered as the cool air hit me. I was still wet.

It seemed like I wandered around for hours before I found the beach. Maybe my campfire was still there and I could relight it to get warm and dry off. I was surprised, however, when I found my fire remnants gone, and a motionless figure lying helplessly on the sand instead. Curiously, I climbed down towards it, knelt next to whoever it was and bent down to see the person's face. It was a man, that much was clear, but his wet hair was covering his features and I couldn't make them out. Carefully, I brushed the moist locks away and tilted my head. I couldn't believe my eyes.

"…Daddy?"

_Was it really my father, lying there on the beach? Had he come to rescue me from the island? No, I knew that was impossible, since he was dead. My head was still fuzzy at the time, so I wasn't thinking very clearly, but some small voice in the back of my mind was telling me loud and clear that the man lying there on the beach was my father. In a different time, maybe, but still my flesh and blood. I knew I was in the past, so the only question left to answer was when exactly?_

* * *

Kiri: omg, evil cliffhanger! 

Ravan:... why do you do this to people? Do you enjoy torturing your readers, even if you only have a few?

Kiri: Of course not! I love all my readers, even if they don't reveiw!

Ravan (rolls eyes)

Kiri: stay tuned for chapter seven! _  
_


	8. Chapter Seven: Meeting the Prince

Kiri: Well, my lovely readers, I am sad to say that this might be the last chapter for a few days. I'm seriously stuck and tomorrow night, I am leaving to go up north for Christmas. I wish I could stay, battle through my writter's block, and give more to read, but you know how it is with the whole 'family' crap.

Ravan: I hope this isn't just an excuse for you to be lazy.

Kiri: ...No, of course not. I'm being forced to go up to see my brother, and i really don't see why he can't just bring his fat ass down here.

Ravan: Well, he has two kids, yknow...

Kiri: He came down for thanksgiving with both of them, didn't he?

Ravan: ...point.

Kiri: Damn right! now get back in the story, and I hope all of you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Chapter Seven 

_I felt content, just sitting there with my father. For a time, I just sat there, with his head on my knees, stroking his hair, just letting my mind wander. All five of my senses had returned, sharper than I remembered, and my head was cleared. But I was still having trouble remembering the dream I'd had. I knew it was important, but I just couldn't recall it…_

The minutes ticked by steadily and my mind seemed to be off in it's own cozy world now, but for some reason, certain thinks stuck out at me. Something someone said about power over time flow and a dark Prince and whatnot… I couldn't make heads of tails of it, but the more I contemplated it, the more certain I was that Erik had done something to me to make me… well, different.

My mind snapped back to attention when my father suddenly shifted. He was going to wake up soon, and it was time for me to go. I put on a small pout. I didn't want to leave him, but I knew I had to. I carefully put his head on the ground, kissed him softly on the forehead and whispered, "I love you, daddy." I took one last look when I was on my feet and fled.

The pathway seemed pretty straightforward now. But the path was distorted with big gaps and high ledges. However, with some acrobatics I had no idea I could even do, I managed to get by. I stopped for a quick rest by a fountain a little ways away from the beach, when I heard the faint sound of metal behind me.

"I've never seen you around here, before… tell me, who are you?" Oh, _damn it._ I turned around to face a woman in the skimpiest black armor I'd ever seen, but holding two deadly looking blades, one of which was pointing at my neck. Fate must really have something against me today…

"I… uh… well…" Think, damn it! "I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage… I'm unarmed." Nope, it didn't faze her one bit, except that she narrowed her bright eyes at me. Ok, let's try something else. "I'm… a bit lost… I'm looking for someone. Could you help me?" I tried to smile, but had a lot of trouble, and she obviously didn't believe me anyway. Only one option left…

"A survivor from that fool's ship that no one saw?" she questioned, "That is what you look like."

"My father isn't a fool! Now stop calling him that!" Too late did I realize my mistake and clamped my hands over my mouth. Great, real smooth, Ravan, girl. The woman's face twisted into a look of amused surprise, confirming to me that I'd seriously blurted out the wrong thing, and then it became an evil grin.

"Oh, related to him, are you? All the more reason to kill you!" She raised her swords. I just stood there, thinking to myself what an idiot I was, until for no reason whatsoever, I yelled at the top of my lungs, "STOP!"

After a moment of nothing happening, I glanced around carefully. Her blades were only inches away from my shoulders, about to chop my head off. I looked at the woman… she was still. Everything was still, and quiet.

"What the…?" I ducked beneath the swords and walked around in circles, "What in Rostam's name just happened?" I poked at the woman's armor, then at her hands and the hilt's of her swords. "Did time stop?" I poked at the water in the fountain. "Did I do this?" I got down on my hands and knees and poked at her shoes. "Interesting… now if I can figure out how to make it continue—" The woman suddenly sprang into motion and sliced through the air where I had just been, missing, of course. She growled in frustration and looked around for me.

"Where did you… There you are!" She slashed at me again, but I rolled out of the way in the knick of time and slowly scooted backwards as she approached me once again.

"Can't we talk this out—GAH!" I jumped away as the tip of her sword hit the ground next to me. She raised them once again to swing at me. "Slow down!" Suddenly, everything was in slow motion. She started to swing, but took so long that I just got up and moved out of the way. "Ok, this is getting crazy…" I watched as her swords slo-o-wly came down and quickly got bored. "Can you speed it back up, please?" And at my words, everything went back to normal again.

"Would you just hold still!" she yelled at me. She swung again, and misses me only by nanometers. In the process of dodging, I tripped and fell backwards, once again giving her the upper hand. She grinned that evil smile of hers now that she had me cornered. "Now I have you!" I watched in disbelieve as the two blades once again hurtled through the air towards me, but this time, something else stopped them…

I blinked, hardly able to believe my luck.

"Daddy?" I said absentmindedly and the woman in black sneered at my father for preventing her from killing me.

"Leave her alone!" he ordered, "She has done nothing to you!" Several monstrous looking things with masks on seemed to come out of the woodwork, wielding threatening weapons of their own.

"Kill him!" the woman yelled, and the monsters all spurred into action, surrounding my father, trying to take him down. But he was too fast and too strong for them. With fluid-like motions, he swiftly defeated every last one of them. The woman, of course, ran away like a coward while he fought like no warrior I'd ever seen. I smiled. That's my father… but something tells me I need to get out of here fast. I got to my feet and tried to leave, but I felt his rough hand clasp my wrist. Oh, I wish he hadn't done that… now I didn't have it in my heart to leave.

"Wait," he said simply. As much as my instincts were telling me to just run away as fast of I could, I turned around to face him. My stomach tied itself in knots as our eyes met, and the silence, however brief it was, nearly killed me.

"What?" I asked nervously… a little too nervously.

"You don't have to be afraid of me," he said calmly, "I will not hurt you." I swallowed hard, keeping my eyes locked with his.

"I…" I started, not knowing what to say to him, so I just threw something out. "Thank you for saving me." He released my arm and I stepped back. My legs were itching to start running…

"I was hoping you could return the favor." He didn't wait for me to reply and launched into an explanation. "I am looking for the Empress of Time. Do you know where I might find her?" Something suddenly clicked in my head… Empress of Time…

"What do you want with her, may I ask?"

"I haven't the time to explain, but I must see her." Subconsciously, I stepped back again.

"Then, I'm afraid I'm no help to you. See, I'm conducting a search of my own, looking for… my… brother… and… I've just been having the craziest day." I didn't have to lie about that, either. Our eyes met again. I really need to get out of here… Come on, legs… respond, already… "Sorry, I'm just wasting your time… I won't keep you any longer."

"No, it's alright. I hope you find him," he replied. I diverted my eyes in every direction I could.

"Um… thank you." After a short, awkward silence, he started to leave. "Uh…!" I suddenly blurted. He turned. "Good luck on your journey, as well!" I chewed my lip. "My prayers will be with you." He gave me a half smile and walked away. When he was out of earshot, I let out a huge sigh and slumped down by the fountain. "That was way to close for comfort… I have to be more careful…"

_I was safe for the moment, but questions plagued my mind. Had I been the one to stop time? Bits and pieces of the dream I couldn't remember were starting to come back to me, but even as I poured over what little I knew nothing made any sense. But one thing was certain. If anyone would know anything about this, it would be the Empress of Time._

* * *

Kiri: I actually thought this chapter was kinda funny.

Ravan: I really don't see how...

Kiri: Well, you walking around Shahdee, poking at her while time was stopped. I couldn't help but laugh at that image...

Ravan: ...you're in idiot.

Kiri: I know, aren't I just? Anyways, I may or may not get through chapter 8... hopefully I'll think of something, but don't get your hopes up. you knowwhat they say. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. And with those words of wisdom, I leave you all!


	9. Chapter Eight: A Ghost in the Past

Kiri: Phew! Finally, an update! Sorry it took so long, peoples... I was completely out of ideas!

Ravan: And you've been completely obsessed with that new Zelda game...

Kiri: ...shut up. Anyways, I hope I do not disappoint with this chapter... and I plan to have our favorite Dark Prince come back at any time now... stay on your toes!

Ravan: Just get to the story, you lazy writter.

Kiri: Then get your butt back in there so I can! Enjoy the chappy, everyone!

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Chapter Eight 

_After a lot of thought, I finally decided that I could either race ahead of father, or lag behind him, but I had to avoid meeting him again at all costs. Since he'd already passed me up, the best thing to do would be to lag behind and try to figure out a few things. He would undoubtedly lead me strait to the empress, so I started there. _

I let out a huge sigh as I pulled myself over a ledge and flopped over onto solid ground. This terrain was getting more and more crazy and ridiculously hard to traverse. Maybe it was because I was still a little woozy from crawling out of that water. During the time I'd spent trying (_trying _being the keyword…) to keep pace with my father, I'd thought on what had happened back at that fountain. Somehow, I'd manipulated time flow, but how was the question. I'd attempted to do it again, but it wouldn't work, so frankly, I was stumped. My best bet was to find the empress.

Ugh… Why does he have to move so fast? I'll never keep up with him at this rate! All it's been so far is climb up some rocks, trip over something, nearly fall off ledge and kill self, jump over a gap, again almost fall and kill self, walk carefully along dangerously small and unstable ledge, climb up some more rocks… When will it end! Thank god when I finally reached a huge set of steps leading to an oversized palace…

Wait…

This has to be it! If it's not, I swear, I'll go kill something. Actually, I'm unarmed still, aren't I? DAMN. Well… maybe I can find something inside… no doubt my father will have cleared most of the way already. He's probably years ahead of me by now… Sighing heavily, I started my way up.

I was right about one thing. My father had cleared the way. Broken weapons and somewhat fresh blood littered the floor, and the door was opened. The next few chambers were basically the same. I continued along my path until I was in a large chamber with numerous bottomless pits, a lot of high up platforms and a large set of stairs in front of me. I ascended them, only to find myself at a dead end. Ahead was a large decorative pillar sitting on a track with an open door behind it. To my right was a set of stairs leading down, but they were broken. I looked around.

"A dead end… now what?" I mused, exploring the room with my eyes for a way out. It was then that I started feeling… odd. It started as a small tickle in the back of my mind, so I ignored it, thinking it was nothing. It grew into a dull pain, and then increased in magnitude. Unable to stand it, I dropped to my knees, clutching my head. My vision grew blurry and strange noises of undistinguishable whispers, being underwater and moaning filled my ears. "What is this!" I shouted desperately, "What's happening to me!" everything suddenly went black and very silent…

Suddenly, I was on my feet. Before me were two women, the same black-clad woman father had saved me from, and another in an elegant red dress. The two were locked in battle, and the woman in black seemed to be gaining to upper hand. Suddenly, the red-clad woman looked over.

"You! Help me!" I looked around, and there was my father, in all his glory. He stood there a second, just watching the two struggle.

"It is as they say," he mumbled to himself, "'the enemy of my enemy is my friend.'" The woman in black finally overpowered the other and threw her off the edge. With a small cry, she clung to the edge, holding on for her life. The woman in black lifted her foot to stomp the other's hands off the edge, when my father intervened. "Leave her alone! You and I have unfinished business!" With a sneer, the black-clad warrior turned, and the fight began.

I think it's safe at this point to assume that no one could see me. But that woman in red… do I know her from somewhere? Slowly, I crept around the fierce battle, watching my father with deep admiration as he viciously fought the woman. I turned my attention away when I stood over where the red-clad woman clung to the ledge for her life. I knelt and leaned over to look at her. I could see the desperation in her eyes as she bit her lip, trying to keep her grip. Unexpectedly, she looked up strait at me. I flinched, but didn't move. Her bright green eyes bore into mine. Could she see me…? We only stared at one another, or at least, I think so, until my suspicions were confirmed.

"…You…" she whispered almost inaudibly. I froze. I was visible to her, but how if I wasn't to anyone else?

A suddenly painful yell drew my attention back to the fight. The woman in black was now sprawled on the floor, her weapons out of reach, and my father stood over her, with his blade plunged into her stomach. I stood as he ripped his black back out and took the moment to take in his victory. The woman beneath me let out a cry, which drew his attention. I stumbled back out of the way as he went to help her. When he pulled her up, however, she said nothing and started to walk away. I felt compelled to follow, and started to, but my father wasn't about to let her get away just yet.

"Wait!" He called, "Please, I must speak with you!" she whipped around.

"What do you want from me?" she demanded.

"I seek an audience with the Empress," he explained. She laughed.

"The Empress meets with no one. Who do you think you are?"

"I am the Prince of Persia." She stopped and dwelled on this a moment.

"I see. Today is a very important day. She cannot be disturbed," she declared. Obviously, father was becoming exasperated.

"I don't think you understand how important this is!" Somehow, I'd migrated over to where the woman in black lay mortally wounded without knowing it. I leapt back when she stirred.

"Fool!" she exclaimed in painful words, holding herself up as best she could, "Don't you know? You cannot change your fate." She dropped back down and in a burst of golden light and was gone… Well, I can rest easy with her gone, now…I think.

"'You cannot change your fate…'" my father echoed, "Was she speaking to me? How could she know my mission?" Just as he finished his words, the ground shook. Rubble fell from the ceiling. Father and the woman in red hurried out of the way, but just when they thought they were safe, a large chunk of the ceiling fell. Father immediately tossed the woman out of the way and shouted, "Watch out!" The dust cleared. "Stay there!" he called to the woman, who was at the lower half of the stairs, on the other side of the large gap that now stood between them. "I will find my way to you!"

"No, prince!" she shouted back defiantly, "Leave this place and never return! The Empress has no love for the world of men. She will kill you if she learns of your presence!" She turned and left. Forgetting that I was invisible, I came up behind my father and reached out to touch his shoulder for reassurance, but I was unpleasantly reminded when my hand went right throw his shoulder and he stood there, unaffected.

"Curses…" I grumbled. Everything blurred again. My father turned and started on his trek once again, just as my vision left me…

_I was back in the same place I had passed out, in the exact spot the fierce battle had just taken place. With a certainty I couldn't explain, I knew I was in the exact place, but in a completely different time. Little did I know then that I had just had my first glimpse into the timeline…_

* * *

Kiri: There, all done! I'll try to get chapter nine up before the weekend is over, but I make no promises! Until then, may your sails stay full and your socks stay dry! _  
_


	10. Chapter Nine: From Father to Friend

Kiri: Ah, chapter nine, and yet another day gone by. lol.

Ravan:... you're crazy, you know that?

Kiri: I'm quite aware, thank you. But, the stats for this thing are a thorn in my side, peeps! over five hundered veiws, and only ten reveiws... Five hundered...ten... is it just me, or is that not a good ratio?

Ravan: because you suck.

Kiri: ... that hurt, you know.

Ravan: Suck it up.

Kiri: I have faith in my readers. If I could only get them to leave a bloody comment...

Ravan: How do you know you even have readers?

Kiri: just shut up and get back in the story. Enjoy the story, folks!

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Chapter Nine 

_After thinking on what I had witnessed, I started running about the castle like a fool, looking for a way into that time. I was unlucky for a while, and at a few points, I wondered why I had to get to that time at all… Maybe I would've stopped, but it felt like something inside me was compelling me forward…_

I shivered as I made my way down a long, lonely corridor. The temperature seemed to have dropped suddenly… I pulled my cloak tightly around my shoulders and kept walking, but got only a few yards when I stopped cold. I could them watching me… Someone's icy stare was upon me. Friend or foe, an uneasy feeling bubbled in my gut. Slowly, my fingers wrapped around the hilt of the small dagger I'd picked up from a weapon rack. My hearing, which had suddenly become very acute, picked up the sounds of soft footsteps behind me. I nervously bit my lip, carefully drawing my ridiculously weak weapon in preparation for battle I was all but ready for.

The footsteps drew closer, staying at the same pace. I waited… just wondering what would happen. I would probably be killed the instant I turned around, or severely wounded and left for dead. My heart started pounding at these thoughts and my grip became so tight around the daggers hilt that my knuckles were white. Something was about to happen, and I wasn't ready. But the footsteps drew closer still. Well, maybe it would be all bad… maybe it'll be a quick death with little or no pain… No. It can't end now. I don't want to die. I refuse to die on this godforsaken rock. Whoever you are behind me, I hope you're ready…

The footsteps stopped. A hand touched my shoulder. I panicked, and whipped around, slashing whoever was there with my weapon. Before it struck anything, though, a rough hand gripped my wrist. I dropped my knife. No… this can't be happening… I can't die here! I—those boots look familiar… I looked up, seeing my father there, a slight look of surprise on his features. I gasped and almost leapt back. In relief, I sat on the ground, panting. My hands still shook and my breaths were shaky, but at least I was safe.

"A thousand pardons," he offered, seeing that he'd scared the hell out of me. "I had no intentions of frightening you." I clutched my chest, trying to calm my heart.

"Never… do that… again…" was all I could manage to say.

"I sincerely apologize, miss." After a moment, I got to my legs, which were still trembling, so I had to use the wall for support.

"I'm alright," I assured him, "This place in making me a little jumpy." My legs quickly gave out from beneath me and I quickly clawed at the wall to stay standing, which didn't work. Fortunately, my father darted forward, catching me before I hit the ground and set me back on my feet. "Thank you." I tensed my leg muscles to force them to stop shaking. "For future reference, don't sneak up on me." I used the moment of silence to regain my posture.

"By the looks of things, I suppose you haven't had much luck finding your brother?" he asked. I looked up, about to say, "Huh?" when I remembered that I had lied to him.

"Oh… well, I have a lead, but I have no idea where it will put me." I picked up my dropped weapon and carefully slid it under my belt. "What about you? Any luck?"

"None."

"Oh… how unfortunate…" I felt much more relaxed and at ease this time around and the instinct to run was faint. I turned. "…Ravan," I said suddenly, almost absentmindedly. He gave me a confused look. "My name. It's Ravan."

"I see. You have a nice name." You gave it to me, buster. I blushed.

"Thank you."

"I am the Prince of Persia." Like I didn't already know that… Nonetheless, I faced him and tried to act surprised.

"You can't possibly be serious!" I exclaimed. He only gave me a look. "What are you doing way out here in a place like this? Shouldn't you be in a palace back in Babylon?" I could be asking myself the same questions.

"It's a long story," he informed, "one that I haven't the time to tell."

"I understand… but before you go, I heard that this island holds the key to time travel. I've looked all over the place and I can't find a trace of my brother, so I'm wondering if he might've stumbled onto it and gone into a different period of time." It felt funny using the same excuse over and over, but it was all I had. "Would you know anything about it?" He just looked at me knowingly.

"There are time portals all over this castle. In fact, I just came from one. Right through that corridor." He pointed.

"You've helped me so much already…" I began, "I have no idea how to thank you. I wish I could help you…" He put his hand firmly on my shoulder.

"There is nothing you can do now, Ravan. Don't look so disappointed." Even if he's not technically my father yet, he still had an encouraging effect on me.

"Well then… just be careful. This is a bad island, I know it." I back up and bowed. "It was an honor to meet you, your highness." Hopefully he has the impression that I'm a simple commoner, and nowhere close to a royal. It's a little weird though, using such formalities with my own father… I started on my way.

"Ravan," he suddenly called out, "Good luck." I smiled back.

"Good luck to you."

The portal my father had told me about was closer than I expected, but considering the traps that protected it, it was hard to get to. Very hard to get to. I think I had more close calls in the five minutes I spent racing under spiked poles and over floor spikes than I've had within my entire life. Thankfully, the portal was still active, but I was a little reluctant to use it. What waited for me in the past? Well, I guess I would find out. Summoning my courage, I stepped into the eye of the portal…

The sands around me began swirling faster and became a vortex. It became more and more violent each passing second. An unseen forced took hold of me and I was lifted up into the heart or the cyclone of swirling sands. I could just make out the overgrowth retracing from the walls and columns through the vortex walls. I shut my eyes and finally, I felt my feet touch the ground again. I opened my eyes. Everything was different, and yet unchanged… I was in the past.


	11. Chapter Ten: Guide and Guided

Kiri: Well, I'm sorry to say that Finals are next week, and I have a crap load to do to get ready...

Ravan: If you weren't such a procrastinator, you wouldn't have to cram so much in at the last possible minute!

Kiri: I can't help it... all the distractions...

Ravan: (rolls eyes)

Kiri: well, this is one of my longer chapters, it seems... but I still am in need of reviews, peeps! I'm almost at the six hundered veiw mark, but only twelve reveiws? Still a bad ratio! So enjoy the story!

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Chapter Ten 

_Everything was the same, and yet, everything was so different. I felt like I was walking around in circles. It took me a long time, but I eventually backtracked to the battleground I had seen in my vision. From here, I would have to find that woman in red… she undoubtedly knows where the empress is. But it was also in that very time that I met up with a certain someone I had almost forgotten…_

You know that feeling you get right before something bad is about to happen? You know, that nagging feeling in the back of your mind that something is out of place and that it's going to come after you if you don't hurry and fix it? The one that makes you feel so uneasy that it's all you can think about for a long while? Well, that feeling has been clawing at my insides for the past few hours and I can't figure out why. Ever since my left hand started aching…

I've been thinking. Maybe, that morning I woke up in Babylon when the riots broke out, I should have just stayed in bed and died there. Maybe then I would at least be somewhere other than this miserable castle. I was tired, my feet and legs hurt, and my head was unclear. Yes, I know what you're thinking. Why don't I just stop and sleep a little, rather than press on like I am? After all, I'm in no hurry. Well, it's easier said than done, my friend. I did try to sleep, but that horrible nagging feeling prevented any sleep from coming to me, and my left hand seemed to hurt even worse. So I have to press on. Maybe I'll push my self so hard that I'll just pass out somewhere, or accidentally stumble on my own feet and fall to my death. Wishful thinking.

The hallway I was traversing was narrow and full of traps. I had to sit down and rest at least three times before I got to the end of it. I was going at a snails pace now, and I was wishing I was back home in Babylon, wandering through the hanging gardens, creating problems for the guards like I used to do when I was young. What fun those days were. It was in these gardens that my mother taught me her secret word, just as her mother had taught her. Kakulukiam. She said that if I was ever afraid, all I had to do was speak that word. I never tried it, nor have I ever told anyone about it.

Finally, I sat down at the end of the hall and rested again. My head was really going fuzzy, and my entire body felt so fatigued I thought I wouldn't be able to get up again. Resting against the wall, I thought I would just close my eyes for a few minutes and then press on… That nagging feeling was still there, and the clangs and bangs of the traps in the hall I'd just gotten through were slowly fading away. My hand ached, still, but everything seemed to become suppressed beneath a veil of darkness, and I at last drifted off to sleep…

Rude awakening. Something sharp poking me… get ready to grab it… one, two… THREE! I jerked up and snatched at the sharp object that had disturbed me. But my victory smile didn't last long when I saw a big black bird struggling to free its beak from my grip. Stunned, I let go and it hopped around, but didn't fly off. I blinked. How in the hell did a bird get inside the vicinity without so much as a scratch, or a ruffled feather?

"Did you have to do that?" the bird exclaimed. I blinked again, then rubbed my eyes and shook my head. I'm dreaming. I know I'm dreaming. Birds can't talk… "I mean, I fly all through this deathtrap of a castle, avoiding traps and whatnot, trying to find you and in return I almost get my beak yanked off. Does that sound pleasant to you?" There has to be a logical explanation for this…

"Uh… sorry?" I answered, trying to come up with some reason to put behind this.

"Yes, yes, that's what they all say." The bird hopped up and perched itself on my knee. "Well, you must be Ravan Sharaman, yes?" I nodded slowly, not taking my eyes away from this spectacle. "Good. I," he pushed his chest out proudly, "am known as Hadi. I am a guide of sorts, and I have been sent to you to aide you with your newfound powers." I poked his feathered chest.

"…You're a bird…?" I asked dumbly. He batted my hand away with his wing.

"No, I am a spirit guide. But in this case, I had to take this form." I reached up to touch him again, but he batted my hand away again. "No, you are not dreaming, and yes, this is reality. Now pay attention." He cleared his throat. "You may not remember, but you met with the Father of Time himself when you fell into the Waters of the Ages. Those waters have endowed you with power over the flow of time. You discovered this when you met with Shahdee, no?" I nodded. "Good, good, excellent. As you are no doubt aware by now, you are not in your present time any more. You are now in the past, during the time your father was dealing with his quarrels with the great Dahaka—"

"Wait, he what? What's a… Dahaka?"

"The Dahaka was a terrible beast created for the sole purpose of ending your father's life when he cheated his destiny and changed the course of history. Yes, you're father was notorious for such things, and caused the father such headaches…"

"Why didn't I know about this?" I asked in a demanding tone.

"Who knows? Now quiet and listen. You have a very distinct air of destiny about you, and one that is similar to your fathers. I can already see what troubles you will bring the world by your manipulating time. But fate works on strange ways. Only the father knows what will happen in the long run, and he encourages you to master your abilities. That is why I am here: to coach you."

"Ok… I understand… I think…"

"You wish to save your Babylon, don't you?"

"Yes."

"And your family and people?"

"Yes!"

"Then let's get moving now!" As I stood up, Hadi perched on my shoulder. Having his claws digging into my clothes and skin was really uncomfortable, but what could I do?

I started to walk. I felt much better now, and my head was clear enough to think in a strait line. I suppose I was apathetic about having Hadi as a companion. At least I would have someone to talk to now and I wouldn't feel so alone. And at least now, I had someone to point me in the right direction, however annoying he may become. After a small ways, I came to another hallway filled with traps. Sighing, I started forward ready to put my neck on the line once again.

"Hold it! Stop, stop!" Hadi shouted. "You're not going in there, are you? "

"Well, yes. I must get to the other side."

"And risk your neck doing it? Why don't you do it the simple way?" he asked suggestively.

"Simple way?"

"Must I explain everything to you? Freeze time, girl! That will make things far easier." I tilted my head.

"But how to I do that?"

"Well, since you are still a novice, I will start you off simply. Now, look at the traps. The Spiked poles, the saw blades, everything. Think of them as obstacles."

"…They are obstacles."

"You know what I mean. Now listen. Think of them as your worst enemies you have faced by far. You have tried every tactic you know and they stand even with you. They are all out to kill you no matter what, and they hunt you relentlessly…" I tried to do so, and it took me a little while. "Now… extend your hand… and say it with passion."

"…Stop." Nothing happened.

"Louder! More passion!"

"Stop!" I tried again, but still nothing.

"You can do better than this! Now say it!" I swallowed.

"STOP!" Everything suddenly froze. All was still… "Hey, I did it!"

"Nice work, kid. You show some promise. Now, hurry and get to the other side, will you?" Cautiously, I made my way to the other end of the hall, curiously poking at the devices as I passed them. "Now, try to unfreeze it," Hadi encouraged as I reached the other side safely. A little difficult, but I managed. "Good. You learn quick, meaning less work for me."

"Hold on… what's this…?" As I was putting my hand down, I noticed markings on my left hand… the same one that had been aching earlier… But they were very faint. Hadi examined them.

"Hmm… the markings are faint… unreadable… Keep an eye on this hand, yes? Now, let us press on. We must reach the thrown room where the Empress resides." With a simple nod, I turned my back to the trapped hallway and continued my trek.


	12. Chapter Eleven: Dreams

Kiri: ok, y'all, before I go on with the story, I thought I'd just stop to give a little heads up on some of the characters. I'd like to state that I didn't just pull their names out of my ass. I actually went looking for them. So, I'll tell you their meanings. 

Ravan – Soul/spirit (Persian)

Erik – Always Ruler (Scandinavian)

Hesam – a sharp sword (Persian)

Adel – Righteous (Persian)

Hadi – Guide/leader (Persian)

Ravan: I love how the dark prince's name is the only foreign one…

Kiri: Well… whatever. It was close to Malik, which was what I originally wanted to call him, but it's already taken. So, I just settled for Erik. Anyways, I also want to say that I finally, FINALLY finished the third game, so I know what the hell happened and basically, I'm thinking that this story has gone in a direction that is just… way off the wall.

Ravan: So change it.

Kiri: I might… but it depends on my readers… it they love it the way it is, so be it. If they want me to change it so it makes more sense, so be it. But anyways, enough of my babbling. Enjoy the story!

* * *

Chapter Eleven 

It was all being documented within the Waters. He had sat and watched it all happen. From the moment she had awakened in the past to the moment she was joined by the talking feather brained bird.

The Dark Prince had yet to leave the chamber in which the Waters of the Ages sat, recording every move she made. The entire time, he had sat, patiently waiting, picking the grime from under his fingernails with the Dagger of Time, which had since been cleaned, but still bore traces of Ravan's blood.

He couldn't stop thinking about her. Many times he had tried to force thoughts of her away and replace them with thoughts of the future, and how wonderful his revenge on the Prince would be. But his mind wouldn't have it. It lingered on her, wondering about her progress, remembering the last moments he'd spent with her. He'd nearly killed her.

That was what he couldn't understand. He knew he would have to strike her down if the waters were to corrupt her and give her the power to control time. He had planned it since he had arrived at the ruined city of Babylon. During their short time together on the island, all she had been was a nuisance. She'd been a thorn in his side and he couldn't wait to get rid of her. He had been very certain that he hated her… but now he was having his doubts.

He glanced down at the waters again, seeing that the girl had already made little to no progress. How typical. Sighing heavily in ever growing frustration, he returned to picking his fingernails. A small voice in the back of his head kept insisting a certain attraction to the girl, but each time it made itself known, he would immediately drown it out with his certainty that she was only a young, naive little girl who was the offspring of his enemy. That alone was reason enough to despise her.

However, the more he drowned the little voice out, the more persistent it became until he finally decided to consider it in some small way. She did have a pretty face… He once again looked at the Waters. She had still made minimal progress. Stupid girl.

"If only her brains matched her body," he thought out loud, "why must the ones with the nice curves always be the ones that can't think things out on their own?" He started wondering what her beloved father would do if he confronted him with a blade at his only daughters neck and grinned. The look the King of Persia would give would be MOST satisfying. But the girl would no doubt have a few tricks up her sleeve. After all, she now knew who he was and what his intentions were.

Cursing under his breath, he stood up. His patience for the princess was wearing thin and the sudden slew of mixed emotions wasn't helping at all. At this rate, he would be waiting a lifetime.

"Looks like I'll have to help her along. Again." He was becoming annoyed with having to do all the work, but he knew that in the end, his revenge on the prince would be well worth it…

* * *

Learning to use my new power had exhausted me. I had started to feel drained of energy about a half hour ago, but didn't say anything and continued practicing my abilities until I was ready to keel over on the ground. I knew Hadi would've encouraged me to keep going, so I did, but when I couldn't even stand up because I couldn't summon the strength, he decided it was best if I regained my posture as soon and as quickly as possible. So, I fell asleep for the second time that day while the black bird kept watch for monsters. 

While I slept, I dreamt pleasantly about Babylon. Home. I dreamt about the city, my citizens, my family… But I had a strange one, as well. I wasn't sure exactly what it meant… perhaps I should share it with you… yes, I will do that.

It started out simple enough. I was home in Babylon, walking through the hanging gardens. I had no worries in the world, to attackers, but Island, nothing… just me walking through my favorite place to be alone. I was wearing what I have on now: simple white pants and boots, a midnight blue top and my purple cloak.

Well, I rounded a corner, when I spotted something, or rather, someone. His back was toward me and he was wearing a dark hood. Wondering vaguely who it was, I approached the figure. But with every step I took, my surroundings seemed to change. The sky grew darker. The plants seemed to wilt. Time seemed to slow…

I came up behind him, but kept a good enough distance. I started to speak, but he seemed to sense my presence and slowly turned around. I still couldn't see his face, since his hood kept his face covered in shadows. Something about the man felt dark and foreboding, and it gnawed at my insides, which unnerved me, enough to consider just turning and leaving.

I started to turn around. I glanced over my shoulder to make a run for it, but the stranger clasped my wrist with icy fingers, preventing me from leaving. I faced him again. He stepped towards me. Again, I started to try and escaped, except something else stopped me. It seemed like a certain part of me… didn't want to go. Something inside me trusted the stranger and wanted to stay.

My muscles betrayed me and locked in place when he placed his other hand on my hip. Swallowing hard, I looked up at his hidden face. A familiar smirk played on his lips… Suddenly, those lips were firmly against mine and a pleasant ache shivered through me. But my soul was torn in half. One part telling me that it was where I should've been, the other telling me to run away. I couldn't make up my mind…

"Ravan, what are you doing?" a voice asked suddenly. I was suddenly back in control of myself and I turned, seeing Adel standing there. The stranger only replied with a smirk of triumph. I pushed out of his grasp. "Come on, princess," he offered his hand, "that man… he's not what you think. A shadow will consume everything it touches. Come with me before he consumes you as well!"

"Trust in me, Ravan," the stranger offered, "Embrace me…"

"Don't believe his lies. He wants you only to take what belongs to you." The hooded man started backing away. I looked between them, at a loss. "Don't let his façade fool you…"

Everything became dark again and I was suddenly in the palace thrown room. I stood at the base of the stairs. I was watching two men sword fight at the top, and a strange feeling of shame crept through me. I looked away. My mother was on the ground not too far from where I stood. I couldn't tell if she was dead or unconscious, but there was blood around her.

Finally, one of the swordsmen fell to the other. The victor loomed over the body, a terrible sense of revenge about him. Something fell down the stairs. Something metallic. It clinked on each step as it tumbled down, and landed at the base of the steps. A crown… With trembling hands, I picked it up and looked towards the swordsman again. He descended the steps to join me, and took the crown. The same hooded figure from the gardens stood before me, holding a symbol of power… My symbol of power. He placed it on my head.

"This is yours until you marry." He smirked wildly and added, "Just think… the most powerful empire in the world… is ours."

"Tyrant," I whispered. Then I woke up.


	13. Chapter Twelve: Talk in the Dark

Kiri: ...well... I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter... I like it, but then again... I don't like it...

Ravan: Make up your mind.

Kiri: I dunno... I'll see what my lovely readers say about it... so until then, enjoy the story!

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Chapter Twelve 

My mind was a big jumble of questions and thoughts when I woke up. I wasn't sure what to make of my dreams, and Hadi was little to no help at all. So I finally decided to just press on.

As I walked through the castle corridors, I felt very refreshed, as if a strange euphoria had taken over. I just felt so wonderful that I started humming to myself. I only half listened while Hadi explained something about something else I don't think I cared about. No, I was too busy reminiscing through the dreams I'd just had about Babylon, the hanging gardens, and my family… One thing was for certain; I missed home terribly.

But the last one… the one about the hooded man… who WAS he? I had an idea, but I wasn't sure. He looked like a certain stranger I'd met before, but it couldn't be him… something seemed… off.

I'm talking about Erik, in case you were lost.

I know Erik is a liar and a traitor and he would fit the bill perfectly. He'd said he wanted revenge on my father for whatever reason, however, he never said anything about taking over my kingdom. Was the dream wrong? Or was there something he'd left out? Something told me the dream had been a glance into the future. Except something just… didn't go. I couldn't place my finger on it…

"Ravan, would you pay attention?" he snapped me out of my daydreams. "This is important if you want to master the power of haste."

"Sorry, Hadi," I offered, "Go on, I'm listening." Clearing his throat loudly, he continued lecturing me on exactly how to manipulate time to get a good advantage against enemies.

All was well and good until I noticed something… really odd about the walls and torches. Their color was fading. I've already seen some bizarre things happen, but I think this takes the cake. I stepped up to one of the now-white and gray torches and examined it while Hadi continued rambling on.

"Hadi…" I began, trying to draw his attention to the lack of color in the area. He continued talking. "Hadi." Still he didn't hear me. "HADI!" Startled, he fell out of the air backwards.

"What! What is it now, Ravan?" he asked, rather annoyed.

"Look around!" He flew up again, making a quick round about the immediate area, then perched on my shoulder and hummed knowingly.

"This seems familiar…" he mused, "where have I seen this before…" While he thought, I sighed and took another look around.

Suddenly, the ground seemed to shake. This unnerved me and I looked at my winged companion for some kind of explanation. The ground shook again, a little harder now, and one end of the hall darkened. Hadi suddenly leapt into the air.

"The Dahaka! For goodness sake, Ravan! Run, girl, run!" Well, I had taken off like a lightening bolt before he'd even finished his sentence. I ran as fast as I could, faster than I even knew I could. But I didn't get very far before I started running out of breath and my legs were begging me for rest. That's the bad thing about being a princess. You live in a huge palace all your life and have servants to do everything for you and you hardly ever get any exercise. So as you can imagine, I was out of shape and exhausted.

Unfortunately, the impending doom right behind me wasn't about to allow me to stop to catch my breath, so I kept pushing myself to the edge of my limits and beyond, it's a miracle I didn't keel over and die from overexertion, when I reached a dead end. A cliff. Uh oh.

I stood there like a fool, trying to figure out what to do while black oblivion fast approached. Well… there's nothing else to do… I back up a few feet and leapt into the dark abyss. I shut my eyes, but opened them when I realized I wasn't falling. I looked back at the ledge, seeing the black demon standing there, with one of his tentacles around my waist, it's bright eyes observing me. Fear quickly turned to confusion as he set me back on the ground. Hadi had conveniently gone missing, so I was left to just stand there like an idiot, wondering why I wasn't dead.

'…_You're not the prince…' _I jumped back, startled. Something had just spoken to me, only I didn't hear it… it was like a thought… _'My mistake, young one, you have such a similar aura to his.'_

"What the…" I gaped at the black beast, unsure what to think.

'_Confused? Not surprising. Not very many mortals can hear me.' _I opened my mouth to say something, but closed it again when no words came. _'Haha, yes, the reactions are always amusing.'_

"…I… but…" I stuttered, "What's going on here?"

'_I already said. I mistook you for the prince. I didn't realize who you were until I was close enough to distinguish. But you are the second person I have mistaken, and it's getting rather annoying.' _

"The second?" I questioned, still unable to believe what was going on.

'_Yes, the second. Another mortal came here only moments ago. He looked like the prince, but he wasn't. Honestly, I need a new job.'_ The demon turned and started walking away, mumbling things along the lines of 'why did I have to be the one to do this.' I only stood there with my jaw hanging open until something clicked in my head.

"Hey! Wait! Mister… Dahaka… sir…!" Wow, I'm sounding like a fool. I clumsily scrambled to catch up as he stopped and turned back around.

'_What is it? I have a prince to hunt.'_ I opened my mouth again, trying to figure out what words to use.

"…I-I was wondering if you could tell me the way to the thrown room…"

'…_Why?'_

"W-well, I-I need to speak with the Empress of Time… but I can't seem to find my way there…"

'_Hmm… well it isn't every day I find a mortal that can hear me… and you do have those markings…'_ I half smiled.

"Please?" … I cannot believe this is happening…

'_Fine, fine. I'll take you there. I hope you don't mind the dark, kid.' _Before I could ask why he extended another tendril, which wrapped around my waist and pulled me… into his body. If I'd experienced weird, off-the-wall things before, it was nothing compared to this.

"I cannot begin to explain how weird this is…" I mumbled, more to myself that anyone else. Everything was completely dark, and I couldn't feel anything. but I could still speak. I heard the demon chuckled in a low, deep voice.

'_Comfortable in there?'_

"Are you really asking or is that a rhetorical question?" It chuckled again. "For the record, I can't really tell."

'_So do you have a name or would you prefer I call you 'kid?''_

"My name is Ravan."

'_Ravan, eh? Well then, well met, Ravan. I'm known as the Dahaka, fates demon, blah, blah, blah. I really shouldn't be doing this, but I'm tired to that roadrunner always outrunning me. Need something else to do."_

"You don't sound very enthusiastic," I pointed out.

'_Well, I'm big, ugly, I frighten small children, and I only get to do my job once every millennia. The rest of the time, I'm just… existing.'_ I laughed. _'If you were in my position, you'd feel the same.' _I heard him sigh heavily. _'Why couldn't I have been a spirit guide instead? No, I had to get stuck as a monstrosity that chases stragglers…'_

"Stragglers? What do you mean?" I inquired curiously.

'_Whenever something happens and someone strays away from their predestined fate, I have to go fix it. The prince, for example. He was supposed to die when he opened the Sands of Time, but didn't. So now I'm stuck having to chase him all around to kill him. Unfortunately, he keeps outrunning me, and it's fast becoming frustrating.'_ I laughed again, but when he said about the Sands of Time caught my interest.

"You said he opened the Sands of Time, right? What does that mean?"

'_About seven years ago, he and the Persian army overthrew a palace in India, where he discovered the Dagger of Time, and the Sands of Time. They took it over to Azad as a gift for the sultan, but that vizier guy, he tricked the prince into opening the hourglass that held the Sands. Because of that little stunt, the prince should be dead.'_

"But he isn't."

'_Yes, obviously, he isn't. Anyway, he and that Indian princess went all over the palace looking for the hourglass and in the end, the prince used the sands to reverse everything and make it as through nothing had ever happened. But he still opened the stupid thing and he still needs to die, so here I am, lucky me.' _He paused, _'all I want to do is just go back to Father Time's realm with the other spirits and do nothing… why can't everyone just do what they're supposed to so I don't have to go about, fixing mistakes?' _

"I must admit, I never would have thought that a demon such as yourself would have such a… personality."

'_Yes, well, that's what most people think. Like I said, only select few can actually hear and talk with me. Although, every now and then, when in pursuit of a straggler, I have to say something along the lines of 'You cannot change your fate.' That's really the only fun I get to have. It keeps them all on their toes.' _I giggled some more and took some time to go back through what the Dahaka had told me about my father. All of it was news to me, but why had he never told me? Maybe I'll ask him when I get home after I've fixed things.

'_Ok, ride's over.' _Something grabbed me again and I was suddenly back out in the light. I squinted until my eyes adjusted and found myself back in the castle. The Dahaka was in front of me. _'The thrown room is just down this hall and around that corner. Now I have to leave. The prince is back in the past and I've gotta go get him.' _Not sure how I felt about that… so I didn't answer. I knew the demon wouldn't catch him.

"Well… thank you."

'_Just try not to mention this to ol Father Time.' _I nodded once and with that, the demon turned and left.

When he'd gone, I looked down the hall and started on my way. But I didn't get far before—

"RAVAN!" …Hadi. He came flying down the hall, looking like he'd just flown himself ragged, and collapsed on the floor when he reached me.

"Well, well, if it isn't Hadi," I teased kneeling down, "and just where did you flutter off to when I needed you?" After several seconds of heavy panting, my guide hopped onto his feet and hovered up to eye level, looking very cross.

"Ravan, why did you make friends with that brute?" he demanded, "His only purpose of existence is to destroy!" I shrugged simply.

"Actually, I thought he was rather nice—"

"Ravan! Girl, listen to me, he is nothing but trouble! You should've just left when he realized his mistake and left it at that!" Sighing, I decided not to argue and let him rant of for a while. "Now," after his lecture, he perched on my shoulder, "on to the thrown room, and the Empress of Time!"


	14. Chapter Thirteen: The Road to Home

Kiri: phew! This one took a while, but I was completely out of ideas! hopefully now, I'll be able to get some more done while I'm over my writer's block. And realy quickly, I really hate the last chapter... I totally messed it up, but I decided that her 'friendship' with the Dahaka would come in handly later on, so... yeah. well, enjoy the story!

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Chapter Thirteen 

"Finally!" I breathed exasperatedly. "Maybe now we can get off of this rock." I was finally in front of the thrown room doors. "It's too damn big, there's too many obstacles, and I think I've seen more strange, unexplainable things here than during the course of my entire life!" Needless to say, I was relieved. At least until Hadi pointed out that the doors were locked. Then my cheerful mood vanished. "Well... now what?"

"Well, there is nothing more to do, so we must wait," Hadi answered wisely.

"Well, well, look who finally gets here." That voice is familiar… I watched as the man that had started this whole mess made his presence known. "Although I was expecting to wait a great deal longer, you certainly took your time."

"Erik? What are you doing here?" My dislike for him bubbled up, but I was too surprised to see him here in this time to make it evident.

"Waiting for you to get here, obviously." He approached, but I folded my arms and turned my back to him.

"Why?" I demanded, "So you can stab me again? Perhaps dump my body into some other otherworldly substance that will only make me more of a freak that I already am?" I heard him scoff.

"No, I've already done that," he retorted, "but listen, I--" I immediately cut him off with a powerful slap, which sent him reeling backwards a few steps holding his cheek.

"Ow! I try to help you and this is the thanks I get!"

"Yes it is, you traitorous liar! If it hadn't been for you and your thirst for blood, I wouldn't be here in the first place!" when he was back up, about to argue with me, I smacked him a second time.

"What is it with you and hitting me?" he cried, "I'm trying to help you, damn it!"

"Then why don't you go throw yourself to a pack of lions! Then you'll be helping the whole world!"

"Both of you, stop your quarreling at once!" a strong female voice commended. The two of us shut up and looked. The woman in red from my vision was standing in the door, hand on her hips, eyes boring into both of us. Hadi, who had been hovering nearby, not daring to get involved, flew over onto my shoulder again. "Now who are you and what do you want here?" Erik folded his arms and looked away. Obviously, he wasn't about to be of any help. Hadi didn't look like he wanted to contribute much, either… well, guess it's up to me.

"Well… erm…" I began, unsure of how to start, "m-my name is Ravan, and I-I'm here because… I'm…" Think fast, girl! "…uh…" She approached me with a look of suspicion etched into her features. I swallowed hard and offered an embarrassed grin and a simply shrug.

"You… I know you…" she looked my over, "you were there when the prince fought Shahdee. But you were in a spirit form then." Spirit form? Not sure how I should respond, I chose to keep my mouth shut. "I've seen you in my visions as well. What is it you want here?"

"Well, I was kind of hoping to get back to my own time and back home to Babylon…" I answered. Hadi interrupted.

"Empress, may I request to speak to you?" He flapped up so he was eye level with her. She seemed a little surprised to see Hadi speak, but simply nodded and the two went off to the far side of the room. I'm not sure exactly what Hadi said to her. I know Erik just stood against the wall, eyes closed, completely ignoring me. With nothing else to do, I stood there and waited.

Whatever the two talked about, and whatever Hadi had told the Empress, it had completely changed her attitude toward me. When they returned, she seemed a little kinder toward me, and Hadi seemed satisfied. He landed on my shoulder and we exchanged glances for a second and the Empress spoke to me again.

"Alright, I will help you, Ravan. As the Empress of Time, I will assist another wielder of time," she agreed. I blinked and stared blankly.

"Oh, yes, I forgot to mention, Empress, she is still very new to this whole thing and is still learning the basics. Please, have a little patience with her, yes?" Hadi interrupted again. Kaileena eyed him a moment, before nodding in agreement and returning her gaze to me.

"Very well. I will activate one of the sand portals in this castle to send you to your own time. 'Erik' will lead you to it." She glanced quickly at Erik while saying his name and I saw him wilt again slightly from the corner of my eye. Something about the Empress is keeping him in check… otherwise he would flat out refuse. It's funny in a way. "Now hurry, before I change my mind." Erik grumpily walked toward me and grabbed my wrist.

"Come on, princess," he grumbled and pulled me along behind him.

"Hadi, what exactly did you tell her?" I questioned once we had traversed a good distance. The black bird on my shoulder only looked back at me knowingly, but didn't say anything. "Oh, it's a secret, then? Wonderful. As if I don't have enough to get a headache over already," I remarked sarcastically.

"You will find out in time, Ravan. Have patience." I grimaced.

"I don't want to have patience, I want to know," I argued.

"Now you are giving me a headache!" Erik exclaimed, sounding annoyed, "your voice is more annoying than a common fly, so either shut up and hurry, or I'll knock you out and drag you the rest of the way." Startled by his show of anger, I decided to just leaving it alone and follow him in silence.

It was eerily quiet the rest of the way and the air was so tense it was almost unbearable. I didn't want to talk for fear that Erik would hold up to his threat and something obviously had him on edge. I was curious as to what it was, but I'd have to find out later. For now, I just followed close behind, did what he told me to and kept quiet until we finally reached the portal the Empress spoke of. The only problem was that it was inactive…

"Looks like we'll have to restore it…" I observed, looking around the chamber. I waited for Erik to make a sarcastic remark about my observation skills, but it never came. I was a little relieved by this, since I didn't want to argue with him, but it was also curious that he was being so… quiet. So, I simply stood and watched as he brought the sand portal to life.

When he was successful, he stepped back, and gestured toward me Hadi took to the air and flew towards the whirlwind of sand and I approached.

"Let's hurry, before it powers itself down again," he instructed. Nodding once, I stepped forward into the center of the swirling sands and closed my eyes like the first time.


	15. Chapter Fourteen: Humiliation

Kiri: Not much to say here... this one was actually kinda fun to write, since it exploits one of Ravan's weaknesses. I know, I'm so sadistic. lol. enjoy the story!

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Chapter Fourteen 

"RAVAN! Wake up!" Erik's voice rang in my ear, and he didn't sound happy. I opened my eyes and glanced around, finding myself on the ground and Erik kneeling next to me, looking a little more than aggravated. I quickly sat up and looked at him questioningly. "Something went wrong. We aren't where we should be. Or, more precisely, we are _where_ we should be, just not _when_," he explained.

"What are you talking about? I asked, not sure what he meant. We both stood up. We were on some kind of bridge, and no longer on the island. He gestured towards the side railing.

"Look." Shrugging, I approached the rail and looked, but I did not like what I saw.

"Ah…! Oh no…!" I gaped. Babylon. I was home all right, but it was just like Erik had said. We were when we wanted to be, but not when. The city was under attack. I felt my heart clench.

"Not what you were expecting, eh, princess?" Erik mocked, leaning on the rail next to me. I forced back the tears I felt coming. "I bet I know exactly when we are, so if you are nice to me, maybe I will tell you." I grit my teeth, trying to refrain from smacking him again.

"Where is Hadi?" I asked with a steady voice.

"Who knows? He went off to survey the area and find a route to the palace. He advised that we should wait here for his return…" he paused and a sinister smile crept over his lips, "but… I for one don't believe in waiting around, especially while the capital city of the world's most powerful empire is under siege." He turned on his heel and started walking off.

"You… You're leaving me?" I exclaimed, "You can't!" He stopped and glanced back.

"Oh? And why is that, princess?" he was enjoying ever moment of this.

"Because… because I… because I need you, ok?" I fisted my hands tightly and chewed my lip nervously, trying to keep eye contact as his slowly grinned victoriously and mockingly. Then he laughed. My Persian pride was trying to hold strong, but it was already bruised horribly. Those tears I'd fought back? Well, they welled up again with a vengeance and my muscles began shivering in rage. His taunting laughter echoed in my ears, slowing ebbing away at my ego. I couldn't stand much more of this…

"So, the wonderful, perfect princess admits she needs the help of a common man! Could this be true, or do my ears betray me?"

"I… I don't know how to fight, ok?" I admitted shamefully, "And I… I…" I couldn't say the next part.

"You need me to protect you," Erik finished gleefully. I lowered my gaze.

"Yes…" He came back over to where I was standing until we were only inches apart.

"Well then, get on your knees and ask nicely and I might agree." I was appalled. There were only a select few I would ever get on my knees for, but he was definitely NOT one of them. There was no way I was going to beg him for anything!

"I would die first!" I answered angrily. Erik grinned smugly and shrugged.

"Very well, if that's how you feel," he turned and started leaving again. My heart beat wildly in my chest. I glanced quickly at my city. There was no way I would survive down there. I needed someone with me, who knew how to handle a weapon…

"Erik! Wait!" He stopped and turned back towards me, still grinning.

"Yes, princess?" I knew this would hurt me more than anything ever would. I would never live this down. I took several steps forward and grudgingly fell to one knee.

"Will you please protect me?" I asked quietly through tight teeth.

"What was that? I didn't quite hear you." I choked back an angry sob and repeated myself, only a little louder. "You'll have to speak louder, princess. I still can't hear you." He was doing this on purpose, to mock the fact that my parents had never seen the need to teach me to defend myself in a fight. The absolute _pleasure_ in his voice made it all so sickeningly clear that he was taking advantage of my weakness and using it to torture me, to crush my pride. Now shaking from head to foot, I couldn't take it any more.

"For the love of God!" I suddenly shouted, angry tears now streaking my face, "I can't fight! I'm too weak to defend myself in combat! Please, protect me!" I threw myself on the ground, burying my face in my hands, sobbing. "Please!" My whole body trembled in rage. I had been forced to admit I was weak and powerless in battle, and to Erik of all people. I was humiliated.

I wasn't sure how long I stayed like that while Erik no doubt gloated over the whole thing. After a while, though, he reached down, grabbed my hands and pulled me to my feet. He looked my in the eye, still smirking smugly, and brushed a tear away from my cheek.

"See? That wasn't so bad, now, was it?" He was adding insult to injury.

"I hate you," I spat back acidly, my voice still quivering.

"I know you do, princess." He backed away a little. "Well, since you were so civil about it," he threw me a chipper smirk, "I will guard you. But make sure you keep up and don't fall behind. I don't want to go chasing after you." He turned around once again and started to leave. Rubbing my eyes, I quickly followed.

For the next hour or so, my thoughts were stuck on one thing: revenge. I wanted nothing more than to punish Erik for making a fool of me earlier. Anything I said to him was said in a dark, cold tone of voice and any looks I gave him were angry glares. But I knew he found my weak retaliations amusing. So I finally gave up, promising myself that I'd get back at him later.

On the plus side, he proved to be one of the most skilled warriors I'd ever seen. I've watched the palace guards train and spar off a few times, and I saw my father in combat quite often, and Erik… well, he would prove a worthy challenge for him.

I watched from behind a crate as he finished off the last of the solders in the immediate area and wiped the sweat from his brow. Coming out from my hiding place, I couldn't help but stare at him as he cleaned his blade off and slowly sheathed it again. He just looked so… wow. How is it that a man who has done so much wrong and be so cruel be so _sexy_? The world may never know.

"When you are finished gawking, let's get a move on." I snapped back to the real world and quickly nodded and hurried to join up with him.

"Where are we heading, anyway?" I asked.

"The palace, of course." I slowed.

"Well then, we're going in the wrong direction. The quickest path to the palace is back the other way."

"We're not going by the quickest way."

"Why not?"

"There is something I must find first."

"And what would that be?"

"And why is the sky blue? Must you constantly ask question my motives? Can't you ever just shut up and leave it be?" He didn't seem as annoyed as he usually was when I got under his skin. "I need a different weapon." I blinked curiously.

"A new weapon? What wrong with a sword?" He didn't answer, so I decided not to pursue the question. "Well… can you at least tell me where you expect to find this weapon?"

"The palace." I raised an eyebrow. He was really making little to no sense at all, and it was starting to get on my nerves.

"Then why are we taking the scenic route?" Sighing in irritated defeat, Erik stopped and faced me.

"Because not only is the quickest way blocked off, and the only way through is by climbing, of which you have no such skills, it is filled with guards. I'm not sure about you, but I want to get to where I'm going with as little delay as possible," he explained.

"Oh… I see, then…"

"Now then, can we please continue?" I nodded once and we went on our way.


	16. Chapter Fifteen: Companions Once More?

Kiri: Well... I would've had this chapter up several days ago... but I was gonna write more, then at the last second (as in, two minutes before I uploaded this) to just leave it at a certain point and same the rest for next chapter. also, I killed Erik's personality. -hangs head in shame-

Ravan: I'm not complaining.

Kiri: because he's being nice to you. Don't get comfortable, it won't last for much longer.

Ravan: You just had to ruin it, didn't you?

Kiri: Yes. Now get back in the story.

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Chapter Fifteen 

…_Things were looking up for a while. Erik proved himself true to his word, although I didn't completely trust him with my safety. Whenever we came upon an area where guards were on patrol, I usually hid myself behind a rubble pile or climbed up to get a birds-eye view of the battle. I couldn't help but gawk at Erik when he fought. He seemed to move so smoothly and elegantly… like some kind of deadly dance. He was so much like my father in ways, but at the same time, so completely different. Often, I wondered vaguely what his real plans were…_

"Hurry up, Ravan, we're almost there!" Erik urged me.

"I'm trying!" I whined after throwing my weight up another foot or so. My guardian watched me struggle from the top of the broken wall we, or I, was scaling. He was right when he said I had no climbing skills. While he was able to run up walls and do all kinds of fancy acrobatics, I was stuck using the old fashion method of using small gaps and rigid edges. It wasn't fun.

"Remind me again why you're father didn't see it necessary to teach you how to climb properly?" he inquired sounding bored.

"I told you, I'm a female, and he never expected the time of peace to end within my lifespan," I explained. He snorted.

"If he had a son, he would've thought differently."

"Well," I grunted as I kept climbing, "he didn't have a son, he had a daughter! However, right now, I wish I HAD been a son!" I finally reached the top and tried to pull myself up, only to have my foot slip, leaving me dangling. Luckily, Erik grabbed my forearm and hauled me over the edge onto solid ground.

"It's about time." He starred at me with narrowed eyes.

"I can't help it if I'm physically inept," I offered. He only grunted and spun around to continue down the path. I leapt to catch up.

For a few minutes, we walked in silence. I eagerly took in my surroundings as we passed, but Erik remained focused on his task, whatever it may be. But I was getting a little bored of all the quiet, so I asked, "What's your favorite color?" I noticed him almost stumble, but didn't call him on it, and he looked at me awkwardly.

"My… _what_?"

"Your favorite color. What is it?"

"What is the point of knowing something so meaningless?"

"I'm only asking…" He rolled his eyes.

"Red."

"Red? I like blue. It's a very soothing color." He snorted.

"Just like your father…" he mumbled, thinking I hadn't heard.

"What about my father?" He looked away.

"He liked blue." I blinked, and then turned my gaze to the ground. Blue was one of the prettiest colors there was. My closet was full of that color. Blue dresses, blue skirts, blue tops, blue shoes… Something suddenly struck me.

"How do you know my father likes the color blue?" I questioned. Erik seemed reluctant to answer.

"Long story, one that I am not at all eager to tell. Especially to you."

"Good. I'm not in the mood for a long story, anyway. Do you have a short story?"

"I have a few. Most of which about my oh-so-exiting journey to 'beautiful' Babylon." I cracked a smile.

"May I hear one?" This time he did stop and stare at me. I offered a toothy smile and an innocent shrug.

"Why are you suddenly so interested in me?"

"Well, because I'd like to know a little more about the man I'm stuck traveling with, and this is the first time we've gotten five minutes into a conversation without fighting." All that, and I really did miss being told stories. I remember father used to tell me all sorts of stories when I was young. I used to love listening to him talk, and I could always tell he loved filling my head with those tales.

Erik stayed silent long enough to make me believe he wasn't going to say anything, but unexpectedly, he turned back to the path and started talking. Grinning a broad, cheerful smile, I followed him and listened. Although what he had to say was not particularly interesting, I couldn't help but feel that something between us had changed. We hadn't had an argument or a fight since the last huge brawl he'd had. It's not much, but for us, it's something. As crazy as it might be, I actually started feeling comfortable around him, but I'm not sure when…

"So what did you do then?" I questioned a little while later.

"What else? I massacred them," he replied, "not that they ever stood a chance, anyway, but they asked for it. It's just too bad I didn't kill all of them. A few managed to get away before I cold get to them."

"Maybe it's a good thing you didn't kill them. Now they know to choose their battles wisely, rather than going around, picking fights with anyone and everyone." Erik snorted.

"Is that another of your father's teachings?" he groaned.

"No, my mother's. Believe it or not, my mother also raised me. She wanted me to be a keeper of the peace, hence, another reason why I never learned how to fight, or climb or anything fancy. She wouldn't have it." I sighed, "My father offered to teach me some basics in secret once, but I refused, saying I would never be able to do such things behind mother's back. I regret it, now." Erik was quiet again, and seemed to be scanning our surroundings for something. I wasn't really paying attention. Suddenly he gripped my forearm and yanked me along behind him over to a high ledge. Before I could ask, he explained.

"It's easy. Just mind your balance." I gaped blankly. "Watch." He ran up the wall, and then back flipped off, landing smoothly on the ground near me. Then I understood what he meant.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on!" I backed up, holding my hands up, "you can't be suggesting that I—"

"Yes, I am. Not only will it make things much easier for me, but also we'll get to where we're going much faster. Now either try on your own, or I'll push you up there myself." I was very skeptical, and nervous, but what could I do? He had a point. Sighing, I gathered my wits and approached the wall. I glanced quickly at Erik for reassurance, and he briefly explained how to pull it off properly, how to keep my balance, so on. Gulping down the nervous lump in my throat, I faced the wall. Here goes nothing…

I managed to do the running part well enough, but when I leapt away, something went wrong because I didn't rotate around enough. Luckily Erik caught me before I hit the ground.

"Not quite, but close," he set me on my feet, "try again." I did, but screwed up again, then again, until finally, he decided we didn't have the time for nonsense. He ran up and climbed onto the ledge, then I ran up after him, where he helped me up and we continued our trek. But I couldn't help but wonder why he was suddenly being so… pleasant.

Back on the Island of Time, we had done nothing but fight and mock and insult one another, and it all ended in his gruesome betrayal. He had said I was the flesh and blood of his worst enemy… in other words, he'd had a nasty vendetta against my father, the King of Persia. It was possible that he still planned to hold up to that vendetta, and stay true to his words. That meant that he would be using me to get at my parents. That thought sent chills through me. 'Maybe he's changed?' said one small thought. I wouldn't be so sure of that… People do not just change their minds, especially when it comes to such issues like revenge. I sighed inaudibly. _What were his motives?_ Only time will tell, I suppose…

Well, until then, I'll just keep playing nice.Yes, and at the first sign of danger, I'll run away as fast as I can and put as much distance between he and I that—AHHHHH!

My feet suddenly slipped out from under me and the next thing I knew, I was tumbling down a hill, until I landed flat on my belly at the bottom.

"Owie…" I moaned pathetically as I pushed myself into a sitting position. Rubbing my head, I noticed that Erik, who still stood firmly at the top, was howling in laughter, pointing down at me, holding his gut. I grimaced.

"Stop laughing, you big jerk!" I yelled angrily, but he only continued laughing at my expense. Pouting, I folded my arms and crossed my legs.

"Are you alright?" a soft female voice came from behind me. I looked up, then leaned backwards, and found myself face to face with… Mother?

* * *

Kiri: voila! Now, leave a nice reveiw and I'll get right to work! 


	17. Chapter Sixteen: Darkness

Kiri: Phew! sorry that took so long, peoples! I had a nasty case of writters block, but I finally managed to get something done!

Ravan: Was that before or after you had to whine to your friend for ideas?

Kiri: ...Shut up. Anyways, enjoy the story!

* * *

Chapter Sixteen 

Erik was having a field day with the fact that I'd fell on my face in front of mother. Every word that left his mouth was some kind of reference to my fall, and that I was clumsy. That, and he wouldn't wipe that stupid smirk off his face. Honestly, he was really starting to get on my nerves.

My meeting with mother had been brief. VERY brief. After she had asked if I was all right, she inquired as to how in the world I'd survived in the middle of a war zone for so long. I answered that I had a protector, then she'd simply wished me luck and left. That's when I grudgingly climbed back up to rejoin Erik, who couldn't get over the incident.

But despite his taunting, I think I'd found out something vital as to the time period I was in. When I had first met Hesam, he'd told me about the attack on Babylon by some mad vizier. My parents had never bothered to tell me about anything that had happened around that time. Hell, the only thing I did know about was the untimely death of my father's father. Well, this must be where I am, because it sure as I'm standing here isn't the attack I'd lived through.

"Honestly, Erik, I do not know why you insist on dwelling on it!" I finally shouted after loosing patience for his sarcastic remarks. "I fell! That's all! I'm not injured, so would you just shut up already!"

"Hmm, I seem to have struck a nerve," Erik replied smugly. I glared daggers at him. "Perhaps if you were not so clumsy…"

"…" I decided that arguing would be pointless from here, so I just turned on my heel and started walking again. We passed through an archway into a narrow ally. "If you aren't going to leave it be, then don't expect any conversation from me." A shallow threat, but it was all I could come up with. Erik only chuckled mockingly.

We rounded a corner, but as fate would have it, another battle awaited us. Sighing, I looked at Erik, who was already readying his blade, and I searched for the best hiding place. Since there was really nothing to conceal myself behind, or under, I decided to just stay around the corner and just peek around the corner every so often.

As always, Erik ran into battle and started his rampage while I watched quietly from a distance. I suppose so fight drew the attention of some solders I didn't notice because while I was watching, one of them snatched me by the shoulders. I started to yell for help, but before I knew what was happening, white hot pain shot into my skull and all I could see from there was an inky blackness…

While I was unconscious, I dreamt again. Since I told the last one, I might as well tell this one as well.

It started out simple, like the last one. I was back home, in the palace, sitting humbly on my father's throne. There was certain stillness about the atmosphere that calmed me, but at the same time, unnerved me. The room was empty. There were no guards, no servants, not even the advisors that were usually around when someone was occupying the throne for whatever reason. There was no one. Just me.

It was also very quiet. If a pin were dropped, it would probably echo. The silence was spooky in it's own way, which only served to make me more edgy. So I started humming. Nothing in particular at first, just some random notes, but soon I had a tune going.

With my mind on my song, everything less intimidating and I was a little calmer. Then I thought of something else. I'm not sure how the thought entered my mind, but I started thinking about when Erik had betrayed me. I remembered when the Dagger of Time had struck me, how much it had hurt and how I wanted nothing more than something to ease the pain.

I abruptly stopped humming and glanced around nervously. The thought should not have made me so nervous, but it did. I suddenly stood up from the throne and hurriedly walked down the steps and towards the door leading out. I don't know why, but I had the strange feeling that something didn't want me there and if I didn't get out of there fast, it would hurt me.

Halfway, I broke into a run. I ran as fast as I could, forcing myself to not look back. Something was it the room with me, but I didn't want to find out what it was. I just ran.

As I ran, the scenery changed. The walls of the palace seemed to melt away into blackness, but were soon replaced by Babylon. Except it wasn't the way it should've been. It was in flames once again. The streets were empty, but filled with a sense of chaos. Bodies, broken weapons and rubble littered the city.

I stopped running when I reached a small plaza and took another look around. A menacing black smoke filled the sky, blocking the sun, turning it all from brilliant blue to a horrible red. Every street that connected to the plaza seemed blacked in some way, weather it was a large rubble pile, a fire, or just the fact that it felt intimidating.

It was then that I felt eyes upon me. the hair on the back of my neck seemed to stand on end, shivers ran down my spine, and I had a feeling boiling in the bottom of my gut. The feeling of 'hey moron, there's danger right behind you. Get ready for it.' I swallowed nervously and slowly turned around to face whatever threat waited for me.

My eyes fell upon a man—or at least, it looked like a man at first. He stood on the rooftop of a nearby building, staring down at me with a cruel smirk stretched across his lips. His skin was the color of charcoal and was laced with gold patterns. A deadly whip-like weapon spiraled around one arm and coiled down onto the ground. But his eyes… his eyes were golden, the color of sand. They frightened me the most, I think.

I wanted to run. I wanted to turn back and run as fast as I could, but I didn't. I couldn't. My body seemed frozen in place. Then he spoke slowly, his voice deep and threatening.

"All that is yours is rightfully mine…" Terror gripped my heart more than before. He suddenly leapt high into the air, flipped, then landed in front of me only inches away. My heart seemed to stop. He gripped my neck, his cruel eyes boring harshly into mine, stripping me of all defenses. I felt bare, like his piercing gaze had drilled through and was staring right at my very soul. "And mine it will be."

He started choking me. I opened my mouth to scream, but all that came out was a tiny squeak. He simply laughed as my eyes widened. Then he shoved me backwards. I found myself falling… He kept laughing that terrible, wicked laugh. I fell and fell into an endless black abyss, further and further from where the man stood, but his awful laughing still echoed in my mind…

At that moment, I had no idea that that man would be the last thing I would ever see again.

* * *

Kiri: I've got a free Dark Prince plushie for whoever can guess what she meant by that last statement. It's actually pretty easy... but anyways... I actually liked writting that last part. Leave a comment and I'll get to work on chapter 17, ok? 


	18. Chapter Seventeen: Caught and Rescued

Kiri: There! It's a freaking miracle! I FINALLY got through this chapter!

Ravan: With the help of whom?

Kiri: ...

Ravan: Yeah, you had to have your buddy write half of it for you.

Kiri: ...shut up.

Ravan: Only telling your faithful readers what goes on behind the scenes.

Kiri: ... Get back in the damn story. ANYWAY, on another note, you're getting REAL friendly with Erik.

Ravan: What?!

Kiri: On to chapter seventeen! Enjoy!

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Chapter Seventeen 

I woke up to a world of darkness. Everything was black. I couldn't see anything, not even my hand in front of my face. It took me a while to realize that I was on a hard surface, but where?

"Ah, so the little princess wakes up at last," a gruff, but comforting voice spoke out.

"W-who's there?" I quickly demanded. I heard a familiar chuckle.

"I thought you'd at least recognize my voice." At his words, something clicked in my head, and I knew right then that I'd met whoever was talking to me before. But everything was so dark. I couldn't make anything out…

"I do… but I must've forgotten," I replied.

"Ravan! It's me, Hesam! Ye remembers me, don't ye?" I could hardly believe my ears.

"Hesam? As in Captain Hesam? The one that took me to the Island of Time?"

"Aye, the very one."

"Sorry, if it wasn't so dark, I would've known who you were sooner," I explained, relieved to finally meet a familiar face that wasn't hostile. But after I spoke, he cleared his throat quietly and was strangely silent. "Hesam? Why the silence?"

"Erm…" I heard him shift slightly, "well… Ravan… I don't know how to break it to ya…" I could sense uneasiness in his voice.

"What?" I encouraged him.

"Well, it's not dark in here." My smile faded. "Yer blind."

And there it was, clear as day. I thought he was joking at first, and smiled nervously, but after a minute of focusing my senses, I realized that what he said was true. So that's why everything was so dark. That's why I couldn't see anything. I was blind.

"B-blind?" I gingerly lifted my hands to my face and rubbed my eyes. It had no effect. "Oh no… no, I-I can't be…" The first thought to come to mind was that I would never see my father, mother or Erik ever again. I'd never see my father's strong silhouette, or my mother's smile… or even Erik's deadly skill in combat that fascinated me so. Blind…

"I'm sorry, Ravan. That damn mad vizier got hold of ye. Tried to stop him, I did, but I couldn't." I carefully set my hands on the ground.

"How… How can I live like this?" I muttered, thinking of having to live the rest of my life is darkness, relying solely on other senses to get me around. I'd seen blind men before, and they seemed to have a lot of trouble. "How will I tell father…" I felt Hesam's firm grip on my shoulder.

"Well, maybe it won't be all that bad, aye?" I drew in a shaky breath.

"Blind…" I let the word roll off my tongue and hang in the air. "But… how?"

"How?" Hesam echoed, "Well, alright, I'll give it to ye strait. It was those Sands of Time."

"The Sands? How could the Sands…" I stopped abruptly, "and hold on a minute! I haven't met you in this time! I won't meet you for a long time... How in the—" I could hear him chuckle.

"I was wonderin' when ye would remember that. The answer is simple. I'm a spirit guide, just like Hadi. Father Time sent me to help keep an eye on ye." And just like that, it hits me like a slap in the face.

"Father… Time? Wait… you? You're a spirit like Hadi?" I must be too dumb to make all the connections, or there's more missing.

"Yep. Remember back in town, when we first met? Well, the father gave me specific directions to guide you towards that island. So, guide ye I did. I still dunno why all that nonsense happened, but I do know that he saw something in ye. Not a clue what, though."

"So… he sent Hadi to teach me and you to guide me," I concluded.

"That's about the gist of it. He must see something in you. He doesn't give his power lightly, y'know." He gave me this power? My eyebrows knitted into an expression of slight confusion. I thought the waters infected me. He quickly read my face, even if my eyes weren't doing much. "Ya mean ta tell me you don't know?" I shook my head.

"I don't know what?"

"Those Waters of Ages have no power over time, o'course! All they do is record." And just like that, another puzzle piece falls in my lap.

"Huh?"

"Ravan, only the Sands o' Time can manipulate time! Any idiot from our realm knows that! Did the father tell that to ye?" I turned my head to the side.

"No… no, he didn't," I replied, "he said the waters infected me and that's how I got my power."

"Well, I don't know why he told that to ye, but it ain't the truth. The Sands and Waters go together. One can't go on without the other, and it takes both to keep harmony in the timeline. But the two are also nasty enemies, they are."

"Then… I was exposed to the Sands… and blinded as a result?"

"You got that right, youngin." Sighing, I wilted to the ground, wondering what else could go wrong. Ever since Babylon's destruction, things have gone wrong. Erik tricked me, Hesam's ship was wrecked, Adel was killed, Erik betrayed me, I became a freak of nature… now I'm stuck in a bloody cell in who knows where, in a spot in time I shouldn't be.

"How can things get any worse?"

"Well…" Hesam began.

"Don't answer that," I snapped quickly. Hesam just chuckled heartedly, and said nothing.

Eventually, my thoughts turned back to Erik. I sat against the far wall of the cell, hugging my knees to my chest, wondering where he was or if he was looking for me. I could just imagine him running through Babylon's war torn streets, killing his way to where I was being kept. That thought made me smile. I think that's what made me start hoping that he would come get me… Maybe that was too wishful thinking, though… Father always told me that wishful thinking would lead only to disappointment. Better start looking for a way out on my own.

"Hesam…" I began, "is there any possible way out of here, wherever here is?" I asked.

"I looked while ye were out. 'Fraid not."

I sighed hopelessly. "Damnit, Erik always chooses the worst possible time to abandon me." Suddenly, there was some kind of commotion coming from outside our cell, when…

**_BANG!!! CRASH!!! BOOM!!!!!!_**

I heard a ton of noise of what might have been a fight, for there was a lot of grunting and sword clanging. I could feel Hesam standing up to protect me. "What is it?" I whispered, sightless and unknowing as to what was going on. "I dunno," he replied.

A voice shouted, "Where the hell are you Ravan?!" Surprised by the familiar gruff voice, I didn't answer. I heard footsteps approaching and I stood up and backed a few steps away. "Erik?" I asked timidly. "Is that you?"

"Ravan! There you are! Do you know how long I've been searching for you? I told you to stay right there! And what did you do? Go off and get yourself captured! So I had to track halfway across the city to find you sitting here in a dungeon like an idiot!" It was indeed Erik. "Why aren't you looking at me?" he demanded, grabbing my right arm. He stank of something awful. "Thanks to you, I'm covered in some filthy Persian's blood!"

I broke down and blubbered, "Oh, Erik, I'm so glad you came!" I lurched in the direction that I thought that Erik was in, in an attempt to hug him, only to find that he wasn't there.

"What are you doing?" Erik asked tiredly.

"Oh, umm…"

"What's wrong with your eyes? Did you get some sand in them or something?"

"You could say that…"

"What happened?" he asked, suddenly concerned.

"Well, I'm not quite sure. I was unconscious at the time." I could almost see in my mind's eye the look that he was giving me now.

Hesam's voice broke in, "That damn vizier got to her. I have strict orders to protect her from that power-hungry lunatic. Didn't go as well as I'd hoped, though. Ended up down here." Erik didn't say anything, but I knew he was looking at me.

"What did the vizier do to you?"

Hesam sighed, "He exposed Ravan to the Sands of Time."

This was followed with a shocked silence and Erik holding my chin to look at my eyes.

"Your eyes," he murmured. "They look like sand. You're blind aren't you?" He made some movement that I couldn't detect and a cloth was put over my eyes.

"Since you can't see anyway, I'll just put this on to cover them, so you won't scare anyone." He wasn't his usual gruff self I noticed.

"Since when do you care about anyone else?" I asked.

"I don't! I just—" I couldn't help but smile.

"And since when do you care so much about me that you would follow me all the way to these dungeons, attracting who knows how much attention in the process?"

"…I…" I couldn't help it.

"Aw, are you beginning to care?" I teased. I heard him growl in the back of his throat.

"I do not know where you get the idea that I even like you. You can sit in these dungeons and rot for all I care!"

"Oh? Then why are you here?" he didn't answer me. Instead, he just snatched my wrist and pulled me along behind him.


	19. Chapter Eighteen: Alone

Kiri: damn! I had some nasty writter's block again, but i'm now over it, thankfully.

Ravan: Yeah, and I'll bet the next update will be in about another two months...

Kiri: Shut up and get back in the story.

Ravan: Kiri also wishes to announce that this story might be taking a sharp turn soon. And I mean soon. ...I know she's gonna do something to me...

Kiri: (innocently) now, ravan, dear, what makes you think that?

Ravan: You already blinded me and made me like that sicko Erik! I can just immagine what's next!

Kiri: you are paranoid, deary. now, onwards with Chapter eighteen! And don't forget to reveiw!

* * *

Chapter Eighteen 

That comment I made about Erik caring so much about me must've really rubbed him the wrong way. He was giving me the cold shoulder, not speaking, ignoring everything I say, the usual.

The loss of my sight wasn't entirely horrible, I soon discovered. Even though I couldn't see, my other senses were sharpening themselves very acutely. I knew Erik was just upset since I could hear his footsteps, and I could just faintly hear his breathing. That, and I could still smell the blood on his clothes.

I wasn't sure where we were or where we were headed, but I knew we were somewhere outside… and I also knew we were high up somewhere. Erik wouldn't tell me. Hesam was also gone.

Speaking of Hesam, I kept coming back to what he told me. He said that the waters did nothing but record the events in the timeline, and the Sands are used to manipulate those events. The Sands and the Waters are opposites… but one can't go on without the other… they both need each other to keep harmony in the timeline, but they are both adversaries. All this begs the question: if my body contains only the waters of ages and they have no powers of manipulation, then how am I able to control time flow?

Even before the Sands blinded me, I was learning from Hadi about slowing time, speeding it up, stopping it and so on, but how? The Waters record and nothing else, so therefore, I should be carrying part of the timeline within me, like Father Time told me, but I should have no control over it. The Sands do the controlling, so I must have some of the Sands in my body as well. But I don't. Curious… Very curious.

Another thing I can't figure out is why the heck we ended up here in Babylon during the first siege (which father never thought to tell me about, and I'm still rather angry about that). Then again, I wasn't sure about much of anything anymore. Ever since this whole mess started, I've looked everywhere for answers and found only more questions, and quite frankly, it was starting to frustrate me.

Then I thought about Erik. If it hadn't been for him, none of this would've ever happened. I would still be in my own time, probably making plans to rebuild Babylon like I should be. No, instead, I was here, wherever that was, blind as a bat, tainted by a supernatural substance, having to follow the bastard around like a lost puppy because I was too weak to defend myself.

But I couldn't bring myself to be mad at him. Even though he had caused all of this in the first place, he had stayed with me and protected me. He had saved my life a few times… Despite the taunting, despite the humiliation, despite everything he had done, I think I was starting to like him a little. But ONLY a little.

Unfortunately, while I dwelled on all this, I lost track of what was going on around me and when I came back to the real world, I had no idea where I was. I waved my arms around and searched for something that would, hopefully, tell me my position. When I couldn't find anything, I called for Erik.

"Erik? Where are you?" I called, but received no response. "Erik?" Still nothing. Great. Alone again. Now what the hell was I supposed to do? I couldn't go looking for him… Knowing my luck, I would wander right in the middle of a mob of sand monsters. No… I suppose the best thing to do in such a situation is to just stay there and hope someone (mainly Erik, or my mother or father) would find me.

I sighed and seated myself on the ground, wishing I could still see. I focused on listening to my surroundings, trying to place familiar sounds, and hopefully piece together my location in the city. I heard a curtain flapping in the breeze, a small fire burning up rubble, the far-off sounds of fighting… nothing really distinctive. A little disappointed, I bowed my head and dragged my finger along the cobblestone ground. I'd just have to wait until I heard familiar footsteps. If I heard enemies coming, I'd just get up and run for it. I can hear pretty well now. Surely I could heard bad guys coming and run away—run where?

It hit me like a kick in the ass. I had no idea where I was. For all I knew, I was on some kind of bridge, and if I ran in the wrong direction, I'd run right off the edge. Uh oh. Well… I guess I'll just have to hope someone on my side finds me first…even though there's only about a three in a hundred chance… and most of the guards were probably out looking for their escaped prisoners… and anyone that would or could help me could've been on the other side of the city… I am so screwed.

I sat there for what could've been hours, trying like mad to figure out what to do, every minute expecting Erik to come and chew me out for wandering away. I wished he would. I was starting to get a little nervous, sitting here all by my lonesome.

Suddenly, my ears perked up at the distant sound of footsteps. My heart skipped. Finally! Finally, someone was coming to get me! I was saved! I quickly stood up and listened hard. Yes, they were coming in my direction. I wondered who it was… Erik? Daddy? I didn't know, but I really didn't care. Someone had finally found me!

I would've leapt in the air with joy, but another thought came to mind and stopped me. What if it wasn't a friendly? What if it was a guard? I felt my heart sink. If a guard found me here… I was all but dead. They'd string me up and… My heart started bouncing around in my belly. The more I thought on it, the closer I knew they were coming, and the more certain I was that if they found me it wound mean bad news. But what could I do? I didn't know where I was! I only direction I now know was same was the direction in which the footsteps were coming, but I couldn't run there! What the hell was I going to do?

"Hey! You!" Panic took over immediately and my legs just started working on their own. I just ran. I had no idea where I was running to, but I just wanted to get away from whoever had just discovered me. "Stop!" I heard them start running after me.

Remember what I said about princesses and not having much endurance when it comes to running? Well, that still applies. I quickly got tired, although the adrenaline from my panic attack kept me going much longer than usual, and I had to slow down. I was out of breath and my muscles were screaming at me for rest. But if I stopped to rest, I would become sand monster meat. I urged myself faster, acutely aware of the heavy footsteps behind me drawing ever closer.

Maybe I would've gotten away if it hadn't been for my lack of vision. After running and running like I had been, the guard was still on my tail, and so far I had been luck enough to not run into of off of anything. The only problem was that my luck quickly ran out and I ran smack into a wall.

For a moment, I thought I saw stars, and I lay there dazed for a moment, momentarily forgetting about the impending danger I had just been running from. That one moment of disorientation, however, was all my pursuer needed to catch me. He grabbed my arms in his icy, steely grip and hauled me to my feet. My survival instincts took control again and I started kicking, screaming and clawing, desperately trying to get free. But whoever had me was much stronger and I was quickly overpowered and restrained.

"LET ME GO!" I screeched at the top of my lungs, "LET ME GO!"

"Shut up, you blind wench!" The voice was that of a sand monster. A guard, just like I'd feared. I was done for now. Any limb that I managed to free flailed wildly through the air for a few seconds before being restrained again.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF ME!" I continued to bellow as loud as I could, "LET GO OF ME!" But despite my best efforts, he was stronger than I was (surprise, surprise) and against a brute like him, I was as helpless as a baby.

"Leave her alone!" It all happened so suddenly that I couldn't register what was happening. I just know that I heard another voice then the sound of a chain whipping through the air and all of the sudden I was free. I was so shook up that all I could do was sink to the ground while my heart slowed down and my good sense regained control over my instincts. It was no surprise that my fisted hand shot out and connected with my savior's jaw when he tried to ask if I was all right.

"OW!" he yelped. I heard him stagger back. I buried my face in my hands, still shaky, but calm enough to speak.

"Sorry, but I can't see you," I explained.

"Ravan, it's me!" His voice was different; it sounded like that of a sand monster… but even though his voice had changed, I knew almost right away who he was.

"Prince?"

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Kiri: Once again, don't forget to reveiw!!! 


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